But Uneasy Souls Are The Lightest
by tragedyneverends
Summary: Continuation to UHWTM. Because an uneasy heart has a solution... but an uneasy soul is impossible to fix. "I'm not crying because I missed her. I'm crying because, deep inside, I know I'm going to lose her again."
1. Introduction

__

**Introduction**

* * *

I'm standing on the sidewalk, in front of the entrance of Konoha's airport. My dad's chauffeur was supposed to pick me up five minutes ago, and I'm getting really impatient. You'd say five minutes are nothing, that I shouldn't be so impatient. But, hey, I'm Ino Yamanaka. Impatient should've been my second name.

I hear someone wolf-whistling behind me, and I graciously turn my head around. Two guys are standing a few meters away from me, smiling and winking at me. They look twenty-something, and they are hot, so I smile back. Any girl would've ignored them, or blushed, or got angry… But I'm not any girl. I don't mean to brag, but guys really like me. I'm used to having people noticing how hot I am.

I turn my head and forget about the guys a second later. They're not worth of my time if they don't approach me and ask me for my number or something else besides distance-flirting. I suddenly think I should go to them, and maybe kill some time flirting. But a girl like me never takes the initiative. It'd make me look desperate and pathetic, something I'm not.

So I think of another way of killing time, and take my cell phone out of my expensive purse. I dial a number I have had memorized since I was a kid, and put the cell phone against my ear. A smile appears on my face when, after the third tone, someone answers the phone.

"Hello?" I instantly recognize the voice. It's the woman who used to bake cookies and put them in a topper for me to take home; the woman who gave me home-made sweaters for Christmas; the woman who I secretly wanted to be my mom.

"Good night, Mrs. Haruno," I say, really glad to talk to her, which is kind of weird coming from me. I never feel glad to talk to someone, not even to my parents. Mrs. Haruno, her daughter, and the people from my French model agency are perhaps the only people I like to talk to.

"Oh, Ino!" Mrs. Haruno exclaims, sounding surprised and happy. She obviously recognizes my voice, too. "What a pleasant surprise! How are you, sweetie?"

"I'm very good," I reply honestly, looking up at the dark sky. "Actually, I think I've never felt better."

"Really? I'm glad to hear that!"

"Thank you. But, you know, Mrs. Haruno? I think you'd rather want to know where I am instead of how I am."

There's a pause and then she gasps, "Oh my God, don't tell me you…!"

My smile widens. "It's good to be back. I missed Konoha a lot."

"Oh, I'm so happy for you! It's such a great surprise… I had no idea you were coming back today. Oh, where are you? At the airport? Do you have someone to pick you up? I can go, if you want me to. I'll be there in ten minutes."

I chuckle. "It's okay, my dad's chauffeur will be here in a few minutes."

"Alright, that's fine. Hey, Sakura doesn't know you'd come back today, does she?"

"No, she doesn't. I really wanted it to be a surprise."

"And it was, Ino, it was." I can hear the smile in her voice. "Do you want me to put her on the phone?"

"Please. But don't tell her it's me. Oh, and be there to watch her expression when she hears the news."

Mrs. Haruno laughs. "Okay. Hang on a second, Ino."

I stare at my perfectly manicured nails as I wait. Luckily, Mrs. Haruno doesn't take too long, and only a minute later, I hear Sakura's voice through the phone. "Hello?"

"Good night, Miss," I say in a fake, high-pitched voice, trying not to laugh. "I call to inform you that your purple flying unicorn has arrived from the Pink Panties Land and will arrive to your house in exactly five minutes."

There's a pause and then Sakura asks doubtfully, "Is that you Ino?"

I burst out laughing. "How did you know?" I ask her.

Sakura is laughing too. "Who else would call a land Pink Panties?"

She has a point. "How are you, bestie?" I ask, smiling stupidly at the ground.

"As fine as I can be. And you?"

"I'm very annoyed."

"Why?"

I sigh dramatically. "My dad's stupid chauffeur is delayed. I'm right here, in front of the airport, waiting for him like a total moron, and you know me, Saks: I _hate_ waiting."

"God, I know it. Remember you're just slightly more impatient than me." There's a long pause and then she brilliantly says, "Wait. Where did you say you are? What airport, Ino? And – hold on, your dad's cha-?" And then she shuts up.

"Yes, yes, Sakura, I am in Konoha," I say, smiling so widely my cheeks hurt.

"Holy _shit_," she says. "Oh, sorry about that, mom."

"Wow, when did you start cussing?"

"I don't know, it's been a while. But, wait, are you serious? I mean, why? Weren't you like lifetimes away as in, you know, France? With your mom?"

"Yeah, but I've come back."

"Well, duh, Sherlock."

I roll my eyes. "Hey, shouldn't you be excited and screaming with joy? I mean - _hello, Saks_! Your bestie has come back, and you're going to see her after almost seven years!"

"Well, yeah, I'm excited and really happy to be about to see you after all these years," she replies. "But – _hello, Ino_! You didn't tell me anything before, you just suddenly took a plane and came here, and I'm kind of hurt you didn't bother to tell me first! I would've offered to pick you up, you know?"

"Well, I know you're dying to see me, Saks," I say, "but, don't worry, my dad's chauffeur will be here soon – or so I hope – and you're going to see me tomorrow at school."

"What do you mean?" Sakura asks, confused.

"I mean that I'm not quitting school, darling. We'll be classmates again. Isn't it awesome? Just like the old times!"

Sakura giggles, but I can tell she suddenly got nervous. However, I dismiss it. "Yeah, cool," she says. "So… I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Of course, babe. You'll never get rid of me."

"Hah, I've known that since I met you, bestie. See you tomorrow, then," she says sweetly.

"Ditto," I reply, smiling, and then hung up.

I raise my head and see a black limo parking in front of me. A guy dressed in a tuxedo gets out of it as I put my cell phone back into my purse. He opens the passenger door for me. I nod politely at him and get into the car, smiling, and wondering what is waiting for me in the future now that I am back.

* * *

Notes: So, yeah, this is the continuation. :) And umm... tell me, is the title cool? :D


	2. Chapter one

Notes: Okay, so, to make it clear, this is kind of like a songfic, but it isn't a songfic. It's like... Well, the end of this chapter is part of a song - a very beautiful song, and the title of it is written _**like this **_- by the best singer ever: Luke Pickett. I heart him, and I heart his songs and his lyrics too, so much they inspire me. So that's why I'm gonna put a little of one of his songs at the end of every chapter, 'kay? It doesn't really mean anything, just that I can't write without listening to his music, I guess. :D

Oh, and do me a favor: listen to Luke's music. You won't regret it. ;)

Disclaimer: NOT MINE AT ALL. Characters are Kishimoto's. The song at the end of this chapter is Luke Pickett's. :)

* * *

_**But Uneasy Souls Are The Lightest**_

_Chapter one_

* * *

**Sakura**

I look at my reflection in the mirror. It's the same as every morning: a teenage girl with pink hair, green eyes and a huge forehead. I'm sure Ino won't notice a big change in me; maybe she'll notice I'm taller and that my boobs are bigger than before, but that's going to be all. My face is still the same as seven years ago. I haven't gotten any pretty.

I bet Ino has gotten prettier. I bet she has bigger boobs, and is taller and slimmer than me. I'll probably look like a kid beside her. Besides, she's told me she models. You have to be stunningly beautiful to be a model, so Ino is definitely prettier than me, someone who has no potential to be a model like her. I also bet she's still better than me in every aspect - except for the intelligence. Intelligence is all I have to presume to her.

I sigh deeply, deciding I want to wear my hair loose today. Tying it into a ponytail makes my big forehead look even more obvious, anyways. I decide I'll put some makeup on, too. My face is flawless and has not even a single pimple on – thank Goodness – but still, makeup always makes you look prettier. I know Ino wears makeup too and looks even prettier than she already is, but at least I want to try.

As I take my backpack and open my bedroom's door, I wonder why I'm suddenly so shallow. I've never really cared about my appearance before, in spite of what everyone who doesn't know me for real says. They say I'm the kind of girl who is always smiling and looking pretty, which makes me look like the shallow type of person. But, really, I'm not usually shallow. Normally, I'd rather buy a science book instead of a fashion magazine, and go to the museum instead of going to the hair salon. This is actually the first time I've been insecure about my appearance since… since… since my graduation from elementary school, I think. That day I had wanted to look stunning – especially for Sasuke.

Why do I want to look stunning today? It is not an important day. It's just a simple Monday, the start of another normal week, right?

Wrong. Today is important. There's no important event or party to attend. It's just that today, Ino, my best friend until she moved to France and secretly became my second best friend right after Hinata (don't tell her, or she'll get pissed!) when we were like ten years old, is coming back today, and I want to make her see that I've changed and that I'm as good as her.

To be honest, I'm not as happy to have her back as you think I'd be. It's weird, because I love Ino, she's my childhood best friend, and I'd always wished she'd come back and everything would be like it used to be in elementary school. But, instead of being super-mega-excited to see her, I feel nervous and anxious and shy and… not okay. It makes me feel stressed out, because she must be so awesome now that I'll look like a little rat beside her, and because of Sasuke.

What does he have to do with this, you ask? Well, a lot. First of all, it's important to remember that when we were in elementary school, Ino and I both had a crush on him. We even fought once (I still have some scars to prove it), but then apologized and tried to be friends again. It worked; we didn't fight over him again, but… I know we both secretly hated each other for that. I wanted him to be only mine as much as she wanted him to be only hers, and we were a threat for each other. Our friendship wasn't what it used to be.

And now, I know very well that it's silly to think she hasn't gotten over him. She's told me she has dated a bunch of French guys and that she even fell in love once and got her heart broken by a jerk. It must be obvious she doesn't like Sasuke, my current boyfriend, anymore.

But I know Ino too well, so well I wish I didn't. I know that when she sees Sasuke, who gets even more and more handsome over the years, she will start to like him again. We'll argue. We'll hate each other again. Everything is going to be a chaos. And if she's really as stunningly beautiful as I suspect, Sasuke may even break up with me to be with her…

_No! No, Sakura, don't think like that_, I tell myself mentally, closing my eyes tightly and shaking my head, as I run downstairs. Suspecting that about Ino, suspecting she'd do the dirtiest things to take him away from me, is kind of reasonable, but suspecting Sasuke would even think of leaving me for her, is stupid and offensive. I'm sure Sasuke loves me as much as I love him. He'd never do something as low as that.

…Right?

"Right," I murmur to myself, doing a sharp nod, as I enter the kitchen. "Good morning!" I say to my mom, who's doing the breakfast, trying to sound cheerful, because maybe pretending I'm okay will make me feel okay.

"Good morning, Sakura," my mom replies, smiling at me. "You excited today?"

"A lot," I lie, sitting on a chair.

"I still can't believe Ino is back, after all these years," she comments, putting a plate of eggs and bacon on the table for me.

"Yeah, me neither," I reply. "It was a big surprise."

"A big, great surprise," my mom says and I nod, even though I don't agree at all.

* * *

**Sakura**

I arrived to school early because I wanted some time to calm down before seeing Ino again, and also because I know what'd happen if I arrived after her. I'd find all the school gossiping about her, saying how hot and perfect and interesting the new girl is, and I'd also find a crowd of testosterone-filled boys around her, flirting and trying to know more about her. She'd come up to me when she'd see me, and she'd hug me and tell me how much she missed me. Then, when she'd go, everyone would be asking me about her and making me start my day awfully.

No, I don't want that. And maybe if I'm here before the whole new-hot-girl-in-school controversy begins, it will be easier for me to control it. Besides, I wanted to talk to Hinata. I called her right after Ino called me last night, and I told her about my anxiety and my bad feeling. She told me to try to calm down and to don't expect the worst of the worst – to just be prepared and to remember how much I value. I've tried so, but it's been kind of hard. I need to talk to her again, and ask her for another advice.

I'm sitting on a desk near the door, so I can know when Hinata arrives. I bite my nails nervously, obviously worried. I'm begging God or destiny or anyone who can hear me that Hinata gets here before Ino.

And she does. Thank God, she does. And I jump up from my seat and run towards her like a crazy fan seeing her favorite artist. "Hinata – oh, God, Hinata, what am I going to do? I look so… so not pretty enough! Ino's going to think I haven't changed through all these years. She'll realize I'm not as awesome as she surely is!"

"Sakura, Sakura! Breathe!" Hinata says, grabbing me by the shoulders. I do as she says and calm down. Hinata frowns at me, as if she is very mad at me, which is pretty unusual and shocked me. "Are you listening to what you're saying?" she asks coldly. "You're doing the worst thing you can do: underestimate yourself! You are awesome, and if you believe so, people will believe it too."

I stare at her, remembering what I've said. Not pretty enough? Not awesome as she surely is? God, what the hell! Was that really me speaking? I sounded like a total loser!

I sigh, finally composed. "You're right," I say, and Hinata lets go of me. "I sounded like a total moronic loser with an extremely low self-confidence. I should be ashamed."

"Yes, you should." She crosses her arms over her chest. "Listen, something you need to realize is that maybe you are overestimating Ino. Maybe she's not as awesome as you think she is. Maybe she's gotten fat and an acne-filled cutis."

I shake my head. "Impossible. She told me she modeled in France."

"Maybe she was lying!" Hinata says. "There are a whole lot of maybes, so you have to calm down and stay cool. Whatever's going to be, it's going to be, and you have to be ready for whatever it comes."

I sigh deeply. "Okay, you're right… as always." I smile at her. "Thanks a lot, Hinata. You're awesome."

"I know," she replies, smirking. "Now let's go sit down."

"Oh, wait, Sasuke is coming," I tell her, walking towards the door as my boyfriend enters the classroom. He sees me too, and our eyes meet, and then everything happens in slow motion.

We walk until we're only a few inches apart and I put my arms around his neck. He puts his arms around my waist and leans closer. "Hello," he says, and I feel my whole body tingle at the sound of his voice.

"Hi there," I reply, and then I give him a quick peck on the lips.

"Hey, is that really all you're gonna give me?" he asks.

I giggle. "Of course it is. We have public, you know? And you know how I get when I kiss you for more than ten seconds."

"Aw, c'mon; make it a nine-seconds-long kiss, then," he insists, kissing my neck, and that's enough to convince me. I put both hands on his cheeks and kiss him, giving a damn about our "public", and he responds the kiss and presses me tightly against his body.

I hear Naruto (he probably arrived right after Sasuke, but I was too busy to notice) joking yell of, "Get a room!" and Hinata's giggles as distant sounds, even though they must be standing just a few feet away from us, because when I'm with Sasuke, I forget about everything and anything, and all that matters is him. It's like a freaking spell.

But then I hear her voice, and for the first time ever, something breaks the spell Sasuke has on me.

* * *

**Ino**

Today was supposed to be the best day ever, dammit! I was supposed to arrive to school and instantly get everyone's eyes on me. The whole school was supposed to be gossiping about how hot and cool I am by lunch time. I don't know if that's really going to happen now, if I'm really going to conquer this land, because to conquer a land, you need some optimism. But I don't have any optimism now. I feel like a fucking dog poop on someone's shoe.

And it's all because of her, my "bestie", who is supposed to make me feel even better than I'm already feeling, not to screw my day – and maybe life – up.

"Sakura?" I ask like a complete delusional moron, because I know it's her (who else has freaking pink her, goddammit?) but I'm hoping she has an evil twin or something like that.

But no, she doesn't have a twin, or a clone, or a girl who looks A LOT like her, because when she breaks the kiss and looks at me with wide, shock-filled eyes, I see it's totally her and it can't be a mistake. She has those same emerald green eyes that adults said were so beautiful; those same perfect, fleshy lips any model or artist would kill for; that flawless skin without a single pimple on; that same hair that, despite the weird color, is perfect for a shampoo commercial; and that forehead – that huge forehead that makes her look so unique.

God, I hate her! Not because she's ruined my mood, or because she's in the arms of a very hot guy who has his back to me, but because she's always been so fucking perfect! She's always been the cuter, nicer, sweeter, and _way_ smarter one, while I'm the pretty-in-a-predictable-way-who-is-better-at-painting-her-nails-than-at-doing-Math-problems one.

I envy her stupid exotic beauty! Why can't I be like her? Why can't I have another type of beauty that'd make me different from all the other European models? I bet that if she went to a modeling casting, she'd instantly get picked, and she wouldn't have to persist and persist like I do.

"Ino!" the bitch finally says, and she sounds _so_ shocked and scared I would've laughed if I wasn't so upset.

I'm about to yell at her, to tell her how much I hate I envy her so much, when the guy she's been kissing turns around and looks at me. And all I can think is: HOLY FUCKING SHIT.

Sasuke Uchiha has changed, and at the same time he hasn't. He's taller and way more muscular (yummy!) but he still has those girly-perfect yet manly features, those beautiful dark eyes I seemed to drown in, that same spiky hair with the unique style the jealous boys used to make fun of ("_Haha, a duck's butt!_") and the pale skin that seems to be so weirdly soft for a guy and I die to touch.

If he'd been incredibly cute before, he is a freaking Adonis now.

I hope I hadn't been drooling as I looked at him and clear my throat. "Sasuke," I manage, and then I have an epiphany: I cannot show them how upset I am, not to Sasuke or to Sakura or to the other morons in the classroom. I have to pretend I'm unaffected, and a strong person who is here to conquer everything and everyone… including my EX-best friend's boyfriend.

* * *

**Sakura**

"Hi," Sasuke replies. "Um, do I know you?"

Ino frowns (I know how much she hates to not be recognized), and I would've laughed if I wasn't so… so… heart-broken? Scared? Sad? I don't even know how to describe it anymore, so let's leave it to "not alright at all".

I want to tell Hinata, "I told you so," because – _look at her_! She's totally gorgeous, and even though I don't have proofs, I believe her when she says she modeled back in France. She's so pretty I feel ashamed of my makeup-covered face. Compared to her I'm next to nothing, for God's sake!

"You don't remember me, huh?" Ino asks, as her upset expression is replaced by a smug one. "It's understandable. I've changed a lot over these years, as well as you, Sasuke."

I watch as Sasuke stares at her intensely, and for a moment, I freak out (_Shit, is he checking her out? Shitshitshitshitshitshit!_) But then he shrugs and looks away. "Sorry, I can't recognize you," he says, and I almost breathe a sigh of relief. He was just trying to remember her face!

"Didn't you hear how Sakura called her, dude?" Naruto asks from besides Ino. He's leaning against a desk, holding Hinata's hand and watching us as if we were a freaking TV show. I make a mental note of kicking his butt after this whole crap happens.

Sasuke shakes his head, and before Naruto can say something else, Ino says, "Ino. Ino Yamanaka. From elementary school. Sakura's best friend. Moved to France seven years ago. Remember now?"

Sasuke raises his eyebrows, clearly surprise. "Oh," he says. "Yeah, I remember now. Sorry, I can't believe I forgot about you," he adds, smirking.

I stare at him weirdly for a moment, until Ino says, "Whatever. Sakura? Are you done shoving your tongue down his throat? Because I'd really like to hug my best friend after all these years, you know?"

I turn to her, and look at her with complete disbelief. After that look she gave to Sasuke, that look that made me so scared and sad and… well, not alright, is she really serious about what she just said? She doesn't hate me because I'm dating the guy she used to like and probably likes again?

But most importantly, should I believe her? Should I really believe she isn't affected at all, that she didn't start liking my boyfriend as soon as she saw him? Should I really believe that for her, we're still the two best friends who used to talk on the phone for hours and hours although we lived at the other side of the globe and hadn't seen each other in years?

Should I take the risk? I don't know. But… what can I lose if I do? My boyfriend? Doesn't he love me? Shouldn't I don't worry about him because he'd never love her as much as he loves me? No, I shouldn't worry. Besides, what are the chances of Ino being an evil bitch that has broken our friendship, once again, for the same guy?

I force myself to smile, and I'm surprised it doesn't cost that much. I walk towards Ino and hug her. She hugs me back, and says, "Jeesh, I missed you!" and I can hear she's crying.

I hug her tightly, starting to cry too. "Me too, bestie," I say, and I'm not lying. I did miss her. She was there for me during most of my childhood and she was the best friend ever before we met Sasuke, and she also tried her best to pretend she didn't hate me at all when we reconciled. I'm very grateful to her.

But I'm not crying because I missed her. I'm crying because, deep inside, I know I'm going to lose her again.

* * *

_"She peels down hearts from the sky, with wings that pick their own life. She keeps a gun by her side but darling no one will hide from you._

_And this I ask of you...when you look in the mirror do you shield your beauty from your eyes? Because i can see it all the time. Just stick to the right path._

_And they're running through the clouds without you…"_

**_Even in heaven they carry switchblades_**


	3. Chapter two

Disclaimer: Characters are Kishimoto's. Song at the end is Luke Pickett's.

* * *

**_But Uneasy Souls Are The Lightest_**

_Chapter two_

* * *

**Ino**

"This is why I didn't come to school with makeup on," I say, taking my makeup out of my expensive, cute purse. "I knew I was going to cry and ruin it."

I smile at Sakura through the mirror. Sheepishly, she smiles back, and then continues wiping the ruined mascara off her eyes. My smile widens at her stupid-ness (she should've thought about it before putting makeup on in the morning, like me), but I try to hide it. I hate her and everything, but I don't want her to know it; I want to make her think her enemy is her friend. So, like her "bestie", I can't be cruel. No matter how stupid and easy to make fun of she is I have to resist my impulses. Still, I mentally wonder if she's lost the only thing that used to make her a little less useless: her intelligence.

We silently continue making ourselves beautiful (well, I make myself beautiful; she is just wiping her ruined makeup off). We both seem to be deep in thought. I have no idea what she's thinking, but I'm thinking about someone I wish I'd never stop thinking about: Sasuke.

Hell, we'd look so good together! I mean, he's hot, I'm hot, and so much hotness is going to make the world explode! I imagine how good kisser he must be, too. I mean, being such a hottie must mean he's kissed (and maybe _more _than kissed) a lot of girls already, right? Besides, I saw how he was kissing that bitch of Sakura; he seemed like he was willing to rip her clothes off at any moment! It makes me very jealous, but also makes me want to have him even more. I want him to kiss me and hold me the way he'd held her too, dammit!

Oh, yeah, I like him – again – so what? Dude, he's hot! Who wouldn't like him? Only a lesbian, I guess. But I'm not lesbian; I'm very straight, and boys are my second priority (right after always looking beautiful and right before fashion). I should've expected to like him again, but, really, I had no idea Sasuke was still so handsome. Yeah, I thought he'd probably be cuter, like, gotten more and more handsome over the years, but I also thought he'd seem less interesting to me now that I'm older and more experienced (_way_ more experienced; European guys are crazy about blondes with Asian features like me),and I decided that thought seemed to be more possible.

But I was wrong. And, if I have to be sincere, I knew I would be. I just wanted to force myself to believe I wasn't going to fall for him again, because I didn't want to worry. And why did I want to kid myself, you ask? Well, duh: because I didn't want to fall for him again. Firstly, because – _hello_! He was my childhood crush, and I _so_ have to be already over him. And secondly, because I really didn't want Sakura (who is so dumb I expected her to still be in love with him, though I'm utterly shocked she managed to make him her boyfriend) to be my rival again. She's still the girl who used to be there for me when I needed her; the girl I made awesome sleepovers with, who made me laugh and feel secure and okay, and consoled me when my parents argued. I mean, no one wants to hate their childhood bestie, right?

But well, I can't do anything about it. I can't change the way I feel towards Sasuke or the way I am. I'm the kind of person who fights for what she wants, not caring about other people. I'm a selfish bitch, honey, and that will _never _change.

"I'm ready," I announce, and then I rub my gloss-covered lips together and look at Sakura. "You're not going to put makeup on again?"

"I don't feel like it," Sakura replies, fixing her pink hair.

"Let's go, then," I say, smiling pleasantly and thinking she probably doesn't want to use makeup anymore because seeing me she realizes she's never going to look as pretty as me, no matter how much she tries to.

We walk out of the bathroom. Luckily, it's still early, so classes haven't started yet. Sakura and I walk side to side through the hallways, taking our time, and I suddenly feel very good. My optimism is definitely back, but I don't get why. Maybe Sakura feeling ugly makes me feel prettier. I kind of pity her, but I'm too glad for myself to pity her a little more.

But I feel like we're too quiet. We're besties who haven't seen each other in years, and we should be talking and talking and talking about what's happened in our lives after I moved to France, right? It feels too awkward to be silently walking beside Sakura.

"So, uh," I say, taking the first thing that comes to my mind. "You and Sasuke, huh?"

Sakura blushes and looks down. "Oh. Yeah."

"When did it happen?" I ask, trying to sound curious instead of how I really feel: bitter. "And how?"

"It was just a month or so ago," she says, and she smiles sweetly at the floor, as if she is remembering it all. I feel like throwing up, but I listen attentively to her. "It's a long story, but in resume, he'd like me since a long time ago, but he didn't know me that well, so he never dared to accept how he really felt about me until something really big happened."

"What something?" I ask, curious.

Sakura sighs. "Well, the four of us – Sasuke, Hinata, Naruto and I – are like the best friends ever, but we had a problem a couple months ago. In resume, the problem was because I liked Sasuke, Naruto liked me, Hinata liked Naruto and Sasuke liked Hinata."

My eyes widen, and I'm sincerely surprised. "Sasuke liked Hinata?" I ask, because it's the only thing I don't believe. It was obvious Sakura still liked Sasuke, and that Naruto liked her (since elementary, actually), and Hinata liking Naruto is believable too, but – Sasuke and Hinata? Jeez, that sounded _so_ impossible.

Still, I couldn't help but think that if Sasuke was dating Hinata instead of Sakura, I guess I wouldn't be so upset.

"Yeah, but he was just confused," Sakura says, "just like Naruto was confused about me. But anyways, at the end, we all found our perfect couple and reconciled."

I nod, imagining what a mess that would've been. Love squares are definitely not nice.

Right then, we get to the homeroom, and our conversation dies. I notice more students have arrived. Some guys whistle and ooh at me when I enter beside Sakura, and I smirk. I'm pretty used to have everyone's eyes fixed on me, but it still makes me feel like the most awesome girl in the world. I glance at Sakura and notice she's a little uncomfortable. Well, of course she'd be uncomfortable in this situation! Which girl wouldn't? They all feel like shit compared to me.

I say my name to the guy who is the closest to me and has just asked me for it. He and several other guys close look at me, up and down, and I bet they're already imagining doing nasty things to me. You'd think that'd bother me, to have boys looking at me in that way, but it doesn't, because I know they're just delusional and that their nasty fantasies are never going to come true because I'm too much for them.

Sakura is still beside me, watching as I answer some basic questions about me to the already gathered crowd of guys around us. She looks emotionless, but I know better. I know that she's only stone-faced when she feels like running away and hiding. I look at her with a smirk on my face, ignoring the boys talking to me and feeling on the top of the world.

But then she turns her head as if someone has called her name, and I can't help it: I follow her gaze. And then the only thing that could've possible ruined my mood happens.

Sasuke, who both Sakura and I are staring at, smirks, and I realize he doesn't even notice me. His eyes are locked on Sakura's as if he's under a fucking spell, and I feel like screaming: _Look at me! Don't look at her, look at me! She's not worth it!_ But I don't do it, and even if I'd do it, I don't think he'd care or listen to me.

"Uh, Ino," Sakura says, and she turns to me. I look back at her, with a slight frown on my face I hope she won't notice. "I'm going to sit over there with Sasuke, okay?"

"Okay," I reply automatically, though when she walks away, my frown deepens.

God, I hate her so much! She is so fucking stupid, telling me she is going to sit with Sasuke as if she's asking for my fucking permission! Why would she ask for my permission? It's her fucking life, her fucking boyfriend. It's as if she thinks I still like him or something – which I totally do – but how would she know that, dammit!

I take a deep breath and count to ten. _Calm down, Ino,_ I tell myself. _Calm down. It's all going to be alright._ Then I walk towards an empty seat and sit down, always followed by the crowd of boys as if they're hungry dogs following a piece of meat.

* * *

**Naruto**

I've never liked that girl, not when we were in kindergarten, not when we were in elementary school, and not now that she came back after seven years. But I don't like her because she's so goddamned arrogant and petulant, or because she's a shallow little bitch, or because she's always treated me like shit... Well, maybe that she-treats-me-like-shit part is the other reason I dislike her. But the principal reason I can't stand her is because of the way she's always been towards Sakura.

I know you won't believe me when I say Ino is mean to Sakura, because everyone who was in elementary school with us remembers that they were the best friends ever and they were always together. And yeah, I gotta accept it: for someone who isn't analytic enough, Ino seems to love Sakura with all her heart and their friendship seems to be the strongest friendship in the world.

But, even though I don't get the best grades in class (that's my girlfriend's talent, sorry), I'm not a complete idiot, and I'm pretty analytic when I want to be it. I can see through Ino's façade, and I notice the way she looks at Sakura, and I also know the meaning of that smirk and that smug expression she had when she entered the classroom and almost all the guys ran to her as if she was a glass of water in the middle of the desert.

Actually, I think it's not so hard to realize what Ino is hiding. I mean, just by putting attention to the way she smirks to Sakura, and the way her posture seems to scream I'M THE BEST THING THAT YOUR EYES HAVE EVER SEEN as she stands there, beside Sakura, and surrounded by a crowd of horny teenage boys, you can see she enjoys having more attention than Sakura – that she enjoys to make her feel like shit compared to her.

That's definitely not a good best friend. Actually, maybe that's being the worst friend ever. What friend would enjoy making her friend feel bad?

I'm thinking about Ino being a perfect example of how being a bitch is like, when Sakura suddenly turns her head and gets her eyes sparkly and her face blushed, and I recognize that expression all too well to know she's looking at Sasuke before I follow her gaze and see him. He's looking at her too, and… well, they look like such in-love morons I can't help but smile. Yeah, it's cute, but – dude, they look _so _idiotic!

Well, maybe I should shut up. I look idiotic when I'm with my Hinata too, anyways.

But my smile fades away when I look at Ino and see her expression. She looks so pissed I think she's gonna explode or something. (I worry, but not because of her death, but because of the floor getting all blood-stained. Ew.) She's looking at Sasuke too, and, I don't know how, but I know her anger is because of jealousy. I don't know if it's jealousy towards Sakura or towards Sasuke or towards both of them, but the most possible thing is that she's jealous towards Sakura. It's as if she doesn't like that they're staring at each other like complete in-love morons, and as if she likes Sasuke or something.

I feel like face-palming myself when I remember that both Ino and Sakura used to like Sasuke back in elementary school. Now it all made so much sense! If Sakura still likes Sasuke after all these years, then Ino still likes him too. And now that Sakura's feelings are returned, Ino's burning with jealousy and hatred!

This makes me realize why Ino is acting like such a bitch. She is trying her best to make herself feel more special now that Sakura has the thing she wants the most.

Sakura tells something to Ino that makes her nod, and I watch as Ino's frown deepens when Sakura walks away. God, she's such a hypocrite bitch! Doesn't Sakura realize? She's an intelligent girl; she sure does. But, knowing her, I think she doesn't want to accept who her supposed best friend really is, because she's scared of being betrayed by someone she cares about so much.

"I cannot believe it," I hear Hinata murmuring beside me, and I turn to her, wide-eyed. She sounded so pissed she scared me!

Hinata's angry expression changes and she looks innocently back at me. "Oh, did I say it aloud?"

I nod. "What can't you believe?"

"I can't believe what a major bitch she is," she says, and her angry expression is back as she turns her head and stares at something in front of us. I follow her gaze and realize she's talking about Ino.

"You realize, too?" I ask, smiling, and she nods. I knew she was my perfect girl for a reason!

"It's obvious she's pretending to be Sakura's best friend ever while she actually hates her because she's dating Sasuke and – c´mon, it's even more obvious she likes him too," Hinata says. "Besides, did you see the way she looked at him when she arrived? She was almost drooling, for God's sake."

I turn back to Ino and watch as she walks towards an empty seat, always followed by the crowd of horny teenage boys, and looking as if she's trying hard to control her anger. "It's not okay what she's doing," I say to Hinata. "We have to make Sakura get away from her before she does something to hurt her."

"Yeah, but I know Sakura, and I think that she already realized Ino isn't who she appears to be," she replies. "Still, I don't think she'll want to completely accept it, because Ino is her childhood friend, and we all love and trust our childhood friends too much."

"That's exactly what I had been thinking." I sigh deeply and look at Sakura, who is sitting close to Sasuke. He has an arm around her and she has her head against her shoulder, and they really look like a very-in-love couple. I turn to Ino and see she's not looking at them; she's trying to distract herself by flirting back to the guys around her. "What are we going to do, then?" I ask Hinata. "Wait until she realizes Ino is not worth her friendship when she's finally hurt her?"

"I don't know," Hinata says lowly, sounding so sad I put a comforting arm around her.

* * *

**Sasuke**

"Are you okay?" I ask Sakura, frowning slightly at her.

She turns to me, surprised, as if she forgot I'm still here. "Huh?" she asks, and then her eyes widen. "Oh, yes! Yeah, I'm alright. Why?"

"You don't seem alright," I confess, and then I gently put a lock of her pink hair behind her ear to make her feel that it's okay to tell me whatever that's upsetting her. "You can tell me anything, you know that?" I ask her softly.

She sighs sadly and looks down at her lap, hesitating. "Yeah, I know," she replies, and when she looks up at me, I see the worry in her eyes, and I know I hadn't been wrong when I suspected there was something wrong going on. "But I don't think you'd understand," she says, and then she smiles slightly. "Hell, I don't think even I understand myself."

"I'll try," I insist, getting closer so I can hear her better. I smirk at her and tight my arm around her shoulders. She smiles back weakly and rests her head against my shoulder.

"Okay," she says as I put my head against hers. "But you were warned." She sighs again, and after a little more hesitation, she continues. "It was very shocking to have Ino back, you know? I mean, after all this years, it's hard to get used to have her back. I feel like things are awkward between us… and I know the reason why. The _reasons_ why, actually."

I wonder why the subject of her worry is Ino. Isn't she her best friend from elementary school? Shouldn't Sakura be happy to have her back? I can understand it can be awkward after all these years of not seeing each other, but Sakura once told me she was still in contact with her. I don't think things between you and your best friend can get awkward out of nowhere; it wouldn't be that way for Naruto and me, for example, and we've been friends for as long as Sakura and Ino have been.

"And which are those reasons?" I ask her, feeling even more that there's something wrong going on.

"It's embarrassing to say this to you," Sakura says; "to anyone, actually. But I trust you, and I know that you won't judge me… right?"

"Of course," I reply, kissing the top of her head. Her hair smells like cherries, as always.

"Okay. So… first of all, it sounds like I'm paranoiac, but I really have a bad feeling about this thing, so I know my mental state is not that screwed up, and you can trust me in that. Anyways, this thing… this bad feeling… is about Ino."

I nod. I really expected it to be about that girl. Hell, anyone would expect something bad coming from her. It's not like I'm mean, but really, even though I don't know her (or maybe don't remember I know her), I can see she means bad news just by looking at her face.

Still, I wouldn't have expected Sakura to realize that too. Best friends are supposed to care about each other no matter what, and they accept each other's flaws too. But, well, I think I'm realizing Sakura and Ino aren't the friends they seem to be anymore.

"I… I think she likes you," Sakura suddenly says, and I need a moment to completely get what she's saying.

"She what?" I ask, confused.

"Didn't you see the way she looked at you? She looked like she wanted to rip your clothes off!" She sighs, as if trying to control herself. "That's why I'm worried. I'm with you now, and I know Ino: if she wants something, she'll do anything to get it. That means she'll do anything to take you away from me, and she won't care we're best friends. She'll send our friendship to hell, just like she did once in elementary school. And I don't think we're going to reconcile this time."

"Are you really sure of what you're saying?" I ask, trying to put my surprise aside.

"I don't know!" she groans. "Maybe I am, maybe I'm not, and even when I think I'm sure, it's possible that I'm wrong and – ugh, I just don't know. I'm confused, Sasuke. And scared; scared of losing you, and scared of losing my childhood best friend."

"You will never lose me," I murmur, putting both arms around her. I think she did realize I didn't say anything about not losing Ino, because that'd be something I'm not sure of at all, but she hugs me back, anyways.

"But I haven't tell you the other reason," Sakura says.

"Then tell me."

She sighs deeply. "This one is even more embarrassing, and I know you'll get angry at me and tell me it's very stupid to think that way, but I'll tell you anyways." She makes a pause. "I… I'm afraid I feel like she can take you away from me easily. Not because I don't trust you, but because she's… well, you saw her; she's gorgeous. She can seduce any guy she wants."

I open my mouth to tell her that's the stupidest thing she has even said, and that I am not any guy, but I think about it and instead I ask her, "And you don't think you're beautiful enough to make me ignore any girl, no matter how gorgeous she is?"

"I'm not as pretty as her," she replies lowly.

"That's ridiculous," I say, frowning. "Of course you're not as pretty as her; you're way _prettier_ than her. And I don't mean only physically. Your personality is beautiful too, something hers isn't. Why would you even worry about it, anyways? I'd want you even if she was Miss Universe. You really shouldn't worry at all. Jeez, you're so annoying…"

Sakura giggles and looks up at me with sparkly eyes. "You really mean it?"

I look away, trying to control my blush. "Yeah, you're annoyingly beautiful, Sakura."

She gives me a peck on the lips and then murmurs, "And that's why you love me, sweetheart."

I don't respond but I kiss her again, thinking that'll let her known she's right.

* * *

_"Feels like watching a movie. The film rolls, yes, between each scene. Like emotions, they flicker, and it's not irony but it suits me..._

_...You keep your eyes on me and don't you stray away from me, because I'm lost without you here."_

**_Leave your bullets at the door_**


	4. Chapter three

Disclaimer: Characters are Kishimoto's. Awesome song at the end is Luke Pickett's.

* * *

**_But Uneasy Souls Are The Lightest_**

_Chapter three_

* * *

**Hinata**

I had expected her to be angry, or hurt, or in denial, or to be burst out laughing and tell me that's the best joke she has ever heard. But I hadn't expected this.

"I don't understand why you look so surprised, Hinata," Sakura says. "I mean, it's obvious that Ino is not who she pretends to be. Did you really think I was stupid enough to don't see it?"

"I didn't think you were stupid," I reply, shaking my head. "I thought you wouldn't want to accept it."

She rolls her eyes. "C'mon! That's the same as saying you thought I was stupid, 'cause only someone stupid wouldn't accept something like that."

I eye her curiously. "You know? I'm surprised you were totally unaffected when I told you what a major bitch your supposed bestie is. I expected you to freak out or to get mad at me, or even to be shocked, but you just shrugged and went all oh yeah, I knew that."

Sakura laughs. "But why did you tell me all of this, anyways? The be-careful-Ino-is-mean thing, I mean."

"Isn't it obvious? Sakura, there's someone pretending to be your best friend when she actually hates you because she is head over heels for your boyfriend, or so it looks like. What did you expect me to do? Sit down and read the newspaper until that witch has finally done something to hurt you?"

"Okay, I get your point. You just wanted to warn me, as the awesome friend you are." She sighs and looks around as if to make sure no one is listening. It's lunch time, and there are a lot of people around us, walking by, because we're outside the girls' bathroom, but they seem to be minding their own business. So, now that she realized no one cares about our conversation, Sakura continues. "But what do you want me to do now? Ino is a bitch, she isn't my friend, and she's after my boyfriend. But what do I do about it?"

"Just… just stop hanging out with her," I say. "Get away from her before she does something you won't like. And get Sasuke away from her, too. Keep an eye on him… and on her, too. Just be cautious, okay?"

"Okay, but I can't stop hanging out with her without a reason," Sakura replies. "She'll question my sudden distant attitude towards her, and what am I going to tell her? If I tell her the truth, that I know she's a hypocrite bitch, either she'll deny it and act like the victim, or she'll get angry and acuse me of being the worst best friend ever for not trusting her."

"So what if she hates you? What if she gets angry? Don't you think that's the best thing that can happen?"

Sakura raises her eyebrows, as if surprised of what I said. "Well… you're right," she finally says. "But still, Hinata, I'm not sure. What if she does like Sasuke and everything but she isn't the bitch we think she is? What if she likes him but would never dare to make a move on him 'cause she's still my friend? We can't be sure."

I sigh, frustrated. Is she serious? Didn't she see the way Ino looked at Sasuke? As I told Naruto, she was almost drooling! Besides, even though I don't know her as well as Sakura does, I'm sure she's not a saint. She seems to be a whore, too (no offense, but seriously). I'm sure she wouldn't think twice before making a move on Sasuke, even if he's her best friend's boyfriend or not.

But I don't make a comment about it, because I can realize why Sakura is not sure about getting away from her. The truth is, she doesn't want to stop being Ino's friend, and she's just looking for excuses. Friendship is as blind as love, and she still has some faith in Ino; she still hopes Ino's still the good friend she used to be.

"You have to open your eyes," I say. "Don't judge people with your heart, Sakura; judge them with your brain."

Sakura looks down, looking sad, and I know she realized that I know that she doesn't want to lose her childhood bestie. "I don't think everyone changes," she says softly. "I mean, they mature and everything, but they stay loyal to their past and they still keep some part of what they used to be inside their hearts."

Meaning of her words: _Maybe Ino is still what she used to be before; maybe she won't betray me because of our past._

I sigh tiredly. "Maybe you're right, but, as you said, we can't be sure, so just… be cautious, okay? I know you'll take your own decisions, but I just want the best for you."

Sakura nods and I hug her, hoping the decisions she'll take will be the right ones.

* * *

**Ino**

My first day of school in Japan is finally over, and I can't be more relieved. This place is like a fucking hell, and I don't mean it in the god-it-is-really-hot-in-here way.

I should be very pleased, but I'm not. I mean, in the popularity aspect, this day has been just as I expected it to be: perfect. Almost seventy percent of the students in the school already know who I am, heard about me, or seen me and been hypnotized by my beauty. That means I'm pretty popular now, and that's good. That's _perfect_.

Besides, I've gotten almost twenty phone numbers and been asked out for more than fifty times, and I'm not exaggerating. Boys here are crazy about me, and that's good. I have seen a few good looking guys among the ones drooling over me, and I guess I'd date them, but I wouldn't take them seriously. No guy has caught my attention yet… well, no guy except Sasuke. That boy is the hottest one I've seen in quite a long time, and, because I met a lot of hot male models back in France, that's saying a lot.

Shit, he reminds me of Sakura, and I hate to remember her. It makes me angry, and jealous, and desperate… and sad. I'd never say it at loud, but very, _very_ sad. I wish she wouldn't be dating Sasuke; I wish he wouldn't be so hot; I wish I wouldn't like him so much; I wish I wouldn't wish so hard I wouldn't hate her…

I shake my head and frown at the floor. _Wishful thinking is for losers, Ino,_ I tell myself. _Accept it and get over it. Besides, she's just a stupid girl and you've tons and tons of friends more, so you don't need her, right? _

"Right," I murmur, just as the same black limousine that picked me up from the airport parks in front of the sidewalk I'm standing on. My dad's chauffer comes out of it and opens the passenger's door for me. "Thanks," I say, and get into the car.

As the chauffer drives me home, I take my cell phone out of my purse and check my messages. There're a lot from my friends, some from my co-workers models, a few from my ex-boyfriends (they're still not over me; how pathetic is that?) and one from my mom. They all ask things like how my fly was, if I've found some hot Japanese guys already, how the weather in Asia is, if the food is tasty, etcetera. They also say they miss me and they hope I'll come back to France soon, and, in my ex-boyfriends' cases, that they still love me and that they can't forget about me (I roll my eyes at those ones).

But my mom's message is the only one that says something different… as expected.

_**I hope you didn't vomit during the fly, even though I know you've gotten rid from that stupid habit since you were twelve. It's just that you're unpredictable, just like me, your mother. Anyways, have a good time in Japan and tell your dad I wish him luck with you. **_

I can't help but get angry. No _Love, mom_ or _XOXO_ at the end. Hell, not even a fucking _Bye_! But well, what did I expect? I know my mom; I know she's against showing love to her only damn daughter.

Don't think she's a bad mother. She just hates me. Yeah, she really hates me, and I'm not kidding or exaggerating. She said once that I'm shallow and selfish and rebel, but she's never realized I'm like this because I got used to trying to get her attention. Besides, I'm spoiled; which girl with rich parents wouldn't be it? And I get bad grades because I hang out with the cool people instead of the nerds.

So I have reasons to my being shallow, selfish and rebel, and I think she's not an idiot and she knows them. I also think the truth is that she hates me because I remind her of my dad (yeah, they had an ugly divorce, and I would've had an emotional breakdown if it wasn't because of Sakura supporting me all the time) and because I kind of ruined her life when I was born. I'm like a heavy burden to her; she can't live her life with me there. That's why she's so excited about me getting eighteen in two years. She can't wait to get rid of me.

But I don't want to think about my mother anymore, so I distract myself by replying to all of my friends' messages (I don't reply to my ex-boyfriends; I despise those delusional morons).

* * *

**Ino**

I've just finished replying my friends' messages (and my mom's, if typing _**Didn't vomit & will make sure 2 have fun and & wish dad luck**_ is a real reply, because I think it's more like a telegram) when I look through the window and realize we are near Sakura's house.

I smirk, suddenly having an idea. I lean forwards and knock my knuckles against the window on the wall between the passengers' seats and the driver's seat. The window is pulled down and I say to the chauffer, "Change of plans. I want to visit a friend. Turn to left and then to right, now, please."

The chauffer does as I order and in two minutes, I tell him to park in front of the pink house with the pretty garden in the corner. He gets out of the car and opens the door for me. After thanking him and telling him to come back in a few hours, I start walking towards the front door of Sakura's home.

The door opens seconds after I ring the bell for the second time and Mrs. Haruno smiles widely when she sees me. "Ino!" she exclaims, and I hug her impulsively. Okay, she's my worst enemy's mom, but that doesn't mean I don't like her, right? Besides, she was the mother I've always wished I had. How can I hate her?

"I'm so glad to see you again," she says, breaking the hug to get a good look of me. "Look at you! You're so tall! And you're definitely not a kid anymore. You're a young woman."

"Inside I'm still a kid, but thanks," I reply, smiling.

"Oh, please come in!" She motions me to step in, and when I do, she closes the door. "Sakura is not home yet," she says. "She went to Sasuke's house." And suddenly, she smiles and rolls her eyes. "You know how teenage romance is. They never seem to want to get away from each other."

I smile, even though talking about Sakura and Sasuke makes me want to break some bones. "Yeah, they better enjoy it," I reply, and Mrs. Haruno misunderstands and giggles. She thought I meant, "_They better enjoy it because teenage romance is something very special and beautiful_," when I really meant, "_They better enjoy it because I'm going to make it end soon_."

I sigh, doing my best to look disappointed and sad. "Well, it really is a shame, because I really wanted to spend some more time with her. In school she's always with Sasuke, you know? She kinda ignored me today." I chuckle.

"That's really mean," Mrs. Haruno says, frowning. "I'll make sure she apologizes and changes her attitude, Ino."

"Oh, no!" I exclaim. "Don't, please. It's okay. I don't want her to stop spending time with her boyfriend just because I came back. And she didn't exactly ignored me, I was just exaggerating; she was very nice, actually."

Mrs. Haruno sighs and smiles, relieved. "Okay, if you say so, then I trust you. But I'll tell my daughter to be nicer, anyways."

"You are her mom, not me," I say, raising my arms and showing my palms to her in a signal of surrender. "But anyways, do you know when she's going to come back?"

She thinks for a moment and then says, "She won't take long, sweetie, so why don't you stay and wait for her?"

I grin widely, as if I've heard the greatest news ever. "Really? That'd be so cool, Mrs. Haruno! Thanks! But, are you sure she won't take long?"

She nods her head. "She just called twenty minutes ago. She told me she would be here soon, so don't worry. Just go upstairs and wait in her bedroom. You remember where her bedroom is, right?"

"Oh, of course I do," I say, smirking.

* * *

**Ino**

I love her, but Mrs. Haruno is really stupid sometimes. But well, maybe she just trusts me a lot. Still, if I was her, I wouldn't have let anyone get into my teenage daughter's bedroom when she's not home. We girls have a lot of secrets hiding in our bedrooms, and no one, not even our childhood best friends, should be allowed to be there by their own when we're not there to supervise.

But Sakura's mom's stupidity resulted pretty convenient for me. Now I'm sitting on Sakura's bed, by my own, while Mrs. Haruno is downstairs, baking yummy chocolate cookies (man, I'm going to send my diet to hell today). The door is half-closed and if Mrs. Haruno comes, I'll hear her footsteps against the wood stairs.

So this is my perfect chance.

I jump up the bed, listening to the distant sound of Mrs. Haruno humming a sweet melody downstairs, and look around the room. Sakura loves pink (that's why she would never dye her ridiculous hair) so her walls and carpet and even the ceiling is pink. They're all different shades of pink; it's hot pink for the walls, light pink for the carpet, and an even lightest pink for the ceiling. Her furniture, her lamps and the door are white, and I think she has a good taste.

I walk towards the night table and start opening the drawers. I rummage around in them (book, pens, pieces of paper, nail polisher), but don't find the thing I'm looking for there.

I stand up and cross my arms over my chest, thinking. _Okay, if I were Sakura, where would I hide my diary?_ I shake my head, realizing that searching in the night table was a waste of time; it's a place too obvious to hide your diary. I have to search in the most unexpected places I can think of…

Under the mattress. Of course! A cliché, but, well, I never said Sakura was original.

But it's not there and, ten minutes later, I find out that it's not among her clothes, or in the further corner of her bookcase, or in the drawer of her underwear, or in a secret safe-deposit box behind one of the paintings hanging on the walls, either.

I sigh, exasperated, and brush my long, blonde tuft away from my face_. Where else?_ I think desperately. _Where the hell else…?_

Under the bed. How couldn't I think about it before!

I crouch down and stick my head under the bed, lightning with my cell phone. I see nothing but dust and balls of fluff at first, but there's something at the back, against the wall, and it looks a lot like a…

"What are you doing?"

I raise my head but I hit it with the bed and exclaim, "Ouch!" Then, I stick my head out and stand up, rubbing my hurt head, and turn to the door. The person who spoke is Sasori, Sakura's older brother, and – damn, he's _hot_! He used to be kind of cute before, but last time I saw him he was like fourteen or fifteen years old, and just starting to get handsome. Besides, I had eyes only for Sasuke, but I'm not so loyal anymore, and now I can realize just how _fiiiiiiiiiine_ Sakura's bro is.

"I was looking for one of my contact lens," I say quickly. God, I'm good at lying.

Sasori, who is standing against the wall, with his strong arms (he's definitely lifting some weights!) crossed over his yummy chest, raises an eyebrow at me. "Oh really?" he asks, and I realize that the only thing that has changed in him is his body. He's taller and hotter, but he's still the same bored-looking, lazy boy I used to know.

"Yeah, really." I push my nervousness away. C'mon, he didn't catch me doing something bad, right? I was just looking for my contact lens… just that. "Why are you here, anyways?"

"Well, I live here," he replies, shrugging and smirking.

"I mean here, in your sister's bedroom," I say.

"I should ask the same thing to you."

I roll my eyes. "I'm waiting for Sakura to arrive form her boyfriend's house because I want to spend some time with her, okay? Your turn."

"I was just heading to my bedroom when I glanced at this bedroom and saw your ass pointing at me." His smirk widens. "Nice ass, by the way."

I glare at him and resist the urge to flirt back. I need him to go now, because I need to take that fucking diary before Sakura arrives. "Bite me."

"Would love to," he replies, uncrossing his arms. "Who are you, by the way? Are you one of Sakura's friends? I've never seen you around here before. She only brings Saruto, Hinata and her boyfriend."

"You mean Naruto?" I ask, because I've never heard about a guy named Saruto.

"Yeah, him." He smirks sexily (don't flirt, don't flirt!). "So what's your name, babe?"

I sigh deeply, trying to control myself. "Ino. Ino Yamanaka. And I can't believe you don't remember me, Sasori."

He frowns, and I'm sure he's wondering how I know his name. But then his eyes widen, as if he just remembered who Ino Yamanaka is. "Sakura's best friend…?" he mutters, and then he frowns. "What are you doing here? I thought you died or something. My sister cried a river when you stopped coming to the house, but I never cared about knowing why you suddenly disapeared."

"I moved to France," I say. "But I'm back."

"Welcome back then," Sasori says, smirking, while I'm starting to get really impatient. Why won't he leave, already? "And, uh, you're only four years younger than me, but I'm not into girls that are Sakura's best friends, so forget my comment about your ass, okay?"

"Okay. I'm not into twenty-year-old guys, anyways."

"Good," he says, and then turns around and walks away without saying anything else.

Only a few seconds after he leaves, I'm sitting on the carpeted floor, holding Sakura's diary in my hands. It's a simple pink notebook, with a big butterfly on the cover and no padlock to secure it. I think that's perfect, because now I don't need to search for the damn key to open it.

I glance at the door and make sure no one is coming. Then, I go to the last entry. It's about Sakura being super happy because it's been a month since she and Sasuke started dating. I feel like puking, but I continue reading instead. After writing how happy she is, she writes something about Naruto and Hinata being totally in love, which also makes her happy.

But then, right after that, I read something that makes my heart froze, both from shock and utter joy.

"…_**we made really awful mistakes like, for example, my almost having you know what with Naruto, which is still a secret, by the way. I know it's not okay to keep that from Sasuke, because it meant nothing and I was just heart-broken and not thinking straight, and - c'mon, Naruto is my best guy friend, only that, but I don't think it's a good idea to tell him that just now. It's been more than a month; if I tell him now, he'll be like, "Why didn't you tell me before? Why did you keep it for so long?" and then he's gonna get mad at Naruto and me. **_

_**"Some secrets have to stay secret forever, and this is one of them."**_

I smile widely. Well, dear Sakura is right about that last line, but seems like this secret isn't going to stay secret for too long, and I'm going to make sure of that.

But suddenly, a thought strikes me.

_I wouldn't like someone doing to me what I'm doing to her now._

Well, duh, Sherlock, of course I wouldn't. _No one_ would. And, yeah, I'm being really mean – a total bitch, actually – no, no, scrath that, this is the next level after bitch. Even for a bitch, this is too much (in my opinion) because no one ever messes with a girl's diary, where her most secret secrets are secretly guarded (that sounded so lame).

But I have to do this. I have to, I want to, and I need to… because this is my revenge.

Yeah, I'm not doing this only because I want to get Sasuke. Doing this only because of him would be too stupid, and I'm not Sakura – I mean, stupid (though those words kind of get along too well, don't you think?). I'm doing this, this telling-Sasuke-Sakura's-dirtiest-secret shit, because it's a payback to Sakura. She didn't do something like this to me, but she did do something that hurt me a lot.

I don't think she'll remember it, unless I refresh her memory. Sakura is not good with memories (she used to forget my parents' names all the time). So, when she comes up to me and asks me why I did what I did, I'll tell her, "_Simply because you, Sakura Haruno, almost ended our friendship because of Sasuke when we were kids, and I'm doing the same thing now. It's kind of like a payback_."

Then she'll be like, "_What? What? I don't understand, 'cause, I'm stupid! Please be more especific, oh, awesome and beatiful Ino!_"

And I'll reply, "_Okay. Remember the ribbon I gave you when we first met? Yeah, the red one. Well, remember you threw it on my face when you found out I liked Sasuke too? Yeah, it was the same day we had that cat-fight. You almost ended our friendship and you let me sooooo down, Sakura. I would've never expected that from you. But you did it; you let me know what a shallow moron you were. You did all of that just because of a stupid boy. And I'm doing the exact same thing!_"

Her eyes will widen and then she'll burst out crying and I'll laugh evilly right in front of her, feeling on the top of the world, and then I'll be able to rest in peace when I die.

So, actually, I wouldn't like someone doing to me what I'm doing to her now _without a good reason_. And I do have a very good reason, don't I?

I put the diary into my purse and sit on the bed, doing my best at looking all innocent and best-friend-waiting-patiently-for-her-friend like, and when Sakura enters the room, five minutes later, I greet her with a big smile of satisfaction.

_This is just about to start, bitch._

* * *

_"Look up all your doors. Revenge never looked so good before..._

_I didn't think you could pull a stunt like that._

_I didn't think you would pull a stunt like that."_

**_Blood Money_**

* * *

Notes: Look! A smiley face with a mustache! :{D


	5. Chapter four

Notes: You guys are awesome, thanks for reviewing! :) I'd hug you if I could! D:

Disclaimer: Only the story is mine.

* * *

_**But uneasy souls are the lightest**_

_Chapter four_

_

* * *

_

**Sakura**

I should've kicked her out of my room – out of my house – out of my _life_, in the moment I saw her there, sitting on my bed, beaming at me. I should've been rude to her, even, and told her to get away from me, from my boyfriend, from my freaking world. I should've ignored her good-girl acting. I should've treated her like the enemy she is to me.

But the things I should've done do not matter anymore. What does matter is that I did all the wrong things I could've done: I didn't kick her out of my life, I didn't tell her to get the hell away from me, and, most importantly, I trusted her. Yeah, I _trusted her_ – only for the few hours she spent at my house, but I did trust her, blindly and stupidly. For those few hours, I kidded myself and believed she was still the ten-year-old girl whom I used to share secrets and pick pretty flowers from the garden with. I believed she was still my best friend, the one who would never betray me or do something to hurt my feelings. I believed she cared about me.

But no one who cares about you would steal your diary, right?

Okay, maybe I don't have proofs, but really, last night I wanted to write on my diary right after she left and I couldn't find it. Ino going to my house, plus my diary disappearing, equals: the bitch is a hypocrite and I made a mistake by trusting her.

Surprisingly, I actually expected her to do something like that. It was obvious she wasn't there just to "spend time with me because she missed me", right? I was just trying to ignore a truth that is as obvious as painful. But still, I didn't stop; I continued to believe something unreal as I desperately and uselessly hoped it would magically turn real. I trusted her, and talked to her, and laughed with her, and pretended we were back to those years when we thought we were as close as sisters and our only cares were getting good grades, finding new pretty flowers to collect and having fun.

In return, she steals my diary.

I sigh deeply, thinking I am so pathetic I would slap myself across the face if it wasn't because it'd hut and because I'm not a masochist. Besides, I don't think a slap would be enough punishment; physical pain is temporal and easy to get rid of with some time and a bag of ice. I need something stronger, more painful, and more traumatic; something that'll make me learn that trusting Ino is never reasonable.

I turn my head and look through the window. I don't stare upwards, at the clouds floating lazily in the blue sky, but downwards, at the students walking by (I'm in the second store of a building). There's a group of guys standing near a bench, talking, laughing and just being boys. Among them is Sasuke, my boyfriend; I can recognize him, even when his back is to me, because of his hairstyle and the way he stands, with his hands stuffed into his pants pockets, his shoulders relaxed and his chin raised high.

I smile faintly. I love him, even though I've never actually said it in front of him; I've told him I'm in love with him, but I've never actually said "I love you". But I think that maybe he does know I love him. And maybe he loves me, too. Or so I hope. I'll ask him someday, just to make sure. If he says "yes", I'll say I love him too. If he says "no, not yet", then I'll promise I'll do my best to make him love me as much as I love him. I just want him to know how I really feel about him, because, who knows, I may never have the chance to tell him how much I love him again.

I sigh, again, and turn to the science book in front of me. I'm here, in the library, during lunch time, because I have to read this book to make a report, but I haven't read more than two freaking pages since I got here, which is not okay. I have to focus; no matter how worried and restless I feel, I don't want to have bad grades.

I try to read for a while, but, eventually, I give up. I really can't stop thinking about doing a terrible mistake yesterday, when Ino went to my house and we talked for hours, laughed as if we were still besties, and I forced myself to believe she was good and still the harmless friend she used to be. I know she is hiding something and being a hypocrite, I can see it, but then why did I trust her? Why did I treat her as if we were still the best friends ever, with no lies and pretensions going on between us? Why did I let her stay in my house, for God's sake? Am I crazy or just stupid?

I look through the window again, and try to distract myself by watching Sasuke talk to his friends. I really don't want to think about Ino anymore. It's making my head hurt. Also, I think I need a massage, urgently, because the stress is making my back hurt, too.

But then I see her. Ino, my supposed childhood best friend, the girl I spent last afternoon with, the asshole who stole my diary and also the most hypocrite bitch ever. Her blonde hair shines under the sunlight and the way she walks tells she's really been modeling the last seven years. She's walking towards the group of guys near the bench…

She's walking towards Sasuke.

I want to move, but I can't. It's as if I'm my ass is glued to the chair or something. The only sounds I hear are my quick heartbeats. Everything around me has vanished, and there's only me watching her walk.

And then, out of nowhere, she turns her head, meets my gaze and smirks. I don't like that smirk. I don't like it at all. But only a couple seconds later, she turns away, as if nothing has happened, as if she didn't just smirk evilly at me. She stops walking when she's behind Sasuke and she taps his shoulder. I knew she was trying to get to Sasuke; I knew it.

Sasuke turns around and they talk for a moment. He gets this annoyed expression on his face, and I'm glad of it, because if he would have been all smiley and polite to her, I would've wanted to die. And then, he says something else to Ino, she nods, and he turns to his friends and tells them something. The guys nod and shrug, and then they leave.

Oh God, they're all alone now – in a public place, but still, alone. They stand there, in front of each other, without doing anything. The way Ino fidgets would make anyone think she has a crush on him, but the annoyed expression on Sasuke's face lets clear that he doesn't feel the same. Still, I hate they're so alone – and so close, too. Only three steps away. I want them to be miles away.

I have to get up and I know it. I have to run and get to them, tell Ino to disappear from my life and pull Sasuke away from her. But, really, I still cannot move, and it's making me very desperate. Why can't I move my body? Is this because of the shock or something? Or maybe my body just doesn't feel like obeying my brain?

They start to talk and by now I'm already getting my hopes up. Maybe I'm just being too pessimist. Maybe she's telling him something a girl would tell her best friend's boyfriend, like "Take care of her," or "If you break her heart I'll break your nose," or something sweet like that. Maybe I misunderstood the smirk she gave; maybe it was actually a sweet smile, and my paranoid brain turned it into an evil smirk. Maybe I put my diary somewhere I can't remember. Maybe Ino's not that much of a bitch…

But then Ino takes a pink notebook out of her purse and my hopes evaporate.

_Screw those maybes_, I think, jumping up from my seat.

* * *

**Ino**

"Okay, I'll be quick and clear. Yesterday, I went to Sakura's house to spend some time with her. I really missed her, and we had a lot to tell to each other. Anyways, she left me alone in her bedroom for a minute to go to the bathroom, and as I waited for her to come back, I saw an opened notebook peering from under the bed. I took it, not knowing what it was, and I realized it was her diary."

I pause to take the diary out of my purse. If Sakura is still watching from that window, and I'm sure she is, I bet she just gasped in horror when she recognized her dear, dear diary. I try to hide my smile, to keep my perfect I'm-so-sorry-I-have-to-tell-you-this expression in place, as I hand the notebook to Sasuke. He takes it hesitantly, looking at it as if it was something he's never seen before in this world.

"That's it," I say. "Her diary."

Sasuke stares at the notebook in his hands for a few more moments, and then looks up at me. "Why did you take it?" he asks, sounding more confused than angry.

"Because I need it to prove I'm not lying," I reply.

"Lying about what?"

"About what I'm about to tell you." I take a deep breath, and when I speak again, I do it slowly, as if I really don't want to say this, but I have to. "Remember the diary was open when I saw it? Well, it was opened right in the last entry. I really couldn't help reading it, but believe me that if it hadn't been already open, I wouldn't have dared to read it. I know a girl's diary is untouchable. But anyways, I read it, and a part caught my attention. It was about… No, wait. Why don't you open it and read it for yourself? I don't dare to say it aloud." I fix my eyes on the ground, as if embarrassed.

Sasuke frowns at me. "Do you realize how wrong this is?" he asks. "You're telling me you read my girlfriend's diary and saw something that may interest me, and now you're telling me to read her diary to find out what." He pauses, as if waiting for his words to sink in. And when I don't speak, he says, "Ino, this is not alright. Don't get me wrong, but I barely know you, so I don't trust you. Even if you are telling the truth, I don't want to invade my girlfriend's privacy, thank you."

He gives me the diary, turns around and starts walking away. I panic. This is not going as I planned! Sasuke was supposed to get curious and read the diary without hesitation and then freak out. He shouldn't be walking away right now. I was really stupid when I didn't think he was probably not going to want to read it. But maybe I didn't consider that option because it seemed impossible to me. I mean, if I were him, I would've read it immediately, because if my someone was hiding something from me, I would want to know what.

Sasuke is a good boyfriend, and that is ruining my plan.

"Sasuke, wait, please!" I say, following him. He stops, turns around and gives me a what-the-hell-do-you-want-now look. "Look," I start, sounding as desperate to fix this up as I really am, "I know this whole thing is super crazy, because you are right: invading Sakura's privacy is not okay. But I do have a reason to do it." I pause, desperately trying to come up with something believable. "I want you to know the truth," I finally say. "She's my best friend and I love her, but she's doing something very mean and I don't want her to hurt you or anyone else, because that'd end up hurting her too. Besides, you're being fooled, and you deserve to know it."

I open the diary in the last entry and shove it against his chest. "Read it," I say, sounding as if I'm challenging him. "Read the fifth paragraph, the longer one." Sasuke looks at me as if I just asked him to take off his clothes and dance the Macarena, and begins to say something, but I interrupt him by shouting, "READ IT!" His eyes widen at me, but after a moment of hesitation, he looks down at the diary and reads.

_Yes_, I think. _Finally._

But five seconds later, he looks up at me, scowling. "Ino, this is a waste of my time," he says. "She just wrote about being very happy, and don't get how this-"

"Just continue reading," I interrupt. We glare at each other for a few moments, but I win the competition because he sighs and reluctantly continues reading. Just a second later, his eyes widen and I have to bite my lip to hide my smile. The mixture of emotions – shock, disbelief, sadness, anger, confusion – I see in his eyes as he reads is priceless.

When he's done, he looks up at me, and even though his eyes seem to plead, his voice is harsh and dangerous. "Is this really her diary?" he asks, and I nod, trying to look as if I'm really sorry. He looks at the diary in his hands, closes it, and then gives it to me. "Thank you," is all he says before he turns around and leaves.

This time, I don't stop him. My work is already done. Now I just have to wait and watch as Sakura's world falls apart.

* * *

**Sasuke**

I tell myself to calm down as I walk through the school's halls. I shouldn't be so pissed, and sad, and disappointed. Maybe I'm just misunderstanding. She wrote "_almost having you know what with Naruto_". The "_you know what"_ part can mean anything, right? Maybe she meant a drink; "_my almost having _a drink_ with Naruto_". Yeah, that could be it. Maybe I'm just paranoid.

But no, I know they didn't have a drink. It doesn't make sense at all. Like, why would she write about that? And why would she think that it's a secret I can't know? It's illogical. But which word would replace the "_you know what_" part? I've just came up with one, and I can't think of any other else, no matter how hard I try. The only word I think would fit perfectly in that sentence is "sex". "_My almost having _sex_ with Naruto_" has sense. A lot of sense, I have to admit.

"No," I groan, glaring at the floor as I walk. "No, it can't be. It's impossible."

But it is possible. It is probable. The diary is Sakura's, because it's pink and because I recognized her handwriting. Ino didn't lie to me. And the words Sakura wrote… they make sense. When I was supposedly in love with Hinata, she was heart-broken, and I've seen in movies that sometimes, when the girls are depressed, they have sex with anyone, just to let it out. As if… as if sex consoles them.

Did Sakura do the same thing?

"Sasuke," someone calls from behind me, and the voice makes my heart flutter. It's Sakura. I don't want to face her now, not when I'm wondering if she is a whore or not, but I can't ignore her. So I stop walking and turn around. She's standing just a couple meters away from me, and the expression in her face is weird. If I have to find a word to describe it, I would pick scared, but I'm not sure at all; it's more as if she's feeling a lot of things at the same time.

"What?" I ask, and my voice sounds so cold it startles me. Was that really me talking? It sounded more like a stranger; a very pissed stranger with a very similar voice to mine.

My voice startles Sakura, too, because she grimaces as if she's in pain. "Please," she says lowly, getting closer to me so I can hear what she says better. "Can we… can we talk in private?"

"Is it because you saw me talking to Ino?" the stranger – I mean, _I_ ask.

Sakura looks surprised. "Uh, not exactly," she says. "But… yeah, I guess that's the origin of this. So… can we?"

"Of course," I reply. "Follow me. I know a perfect place."

* * *

**Sakura**

Sasuke's perfect place turns out to be behind the school's auditorium. I don't know how he discovered this place; maybe Naruto told him, telling him that it was perfect to hide and make out with a girl (yeah, the guy's a pervert). Sasuke has never taken me here before, so I guess he decided this could be more useful as a place to talk than as a place to make out.

As I'm standing here with him, completely alone, under the shade of the few trees planted against the wall, I start feeling nervous. I was feeling just anxious and scared before, because I feared he wouldn't want to talk to me, not nervous. But now that he's willing to talk to me, I'm finally getting nervous because, what do I say now? How do I start?

I'm thinking this wouldn't have happened if I hadn't run into someone and had to help her pick her tons of books up (that delayed me. If that hadn't happen, I could've reached Sasuke before he even took my diary and read it. But I reached him when he was in the halls, looking so pissed I realized it was too late), when Sasuke suddenly speaks.

"Just tell me one thing, Sakura. Did you…" He bows his head, not wanting to look at me, I guess. "Did you have sex with Naruto?"

My heart stops for a few seconds, but I stay calm. "No," I answer, and it's the truth. We were very close to, but, thanks to Naruto, we didn't, and I'm very glad of it right now, because my answer seemed to relieve Sasuke a lot. Imagine how crushed he would've been if I would have said yes.

"But you were close to," he says, and I nod. He looks up at me, and it's my turn to bow my head. Now I'm the one who's too ashamed to look at the other's face. "When did it happen?" he asks lowly.

"It didn't happen," I say. "It _almost_ happened."

"Well, yeah, that. When did it _almost_ happen?"

"More than a month ago," I reply, "in Hinata's birthday party. Remember I saw you kissing her and then I ran away crying? Well, Naruto went after me, and he found me in the bathroom. I let him in and he held me as I cried, and then… well, one thing led to the other, and…" I look up at him, pleading with my eyes. "Please, Sasuke, don't hate me for keeping this from you. I wasn't thinking straight that night. The only thing on my mind was that I wanted Hinata to suffer the consequences of my actions as much as I was suffering the consequences of hers."

"So you did it for revenge?"

I beam. He does understand me! "Yes! You understand it, right? It wasn't my fault at all. It was actually Hinata's because she kissed you and I saw. That completely broke me, and being broken made me do very stupid things."

Sasuke nods, but looks away from me. He doesn't seem so pissed anymore, but I can see he's tense, so I try to find more things to say on my favor. "It meant nothing to me," I say. "I swear. I was keeping it from you because I forgot to tell you about it, and when I remembered, it was too late. I thought that if I told you now you'd get mad at me for keeping the secret for so long. I didn't want you to get mad at me, or at Naruto, so I kept my mouth shut. It's a shame that bitch stole and read my diary, because, either way, you would've never found out."

Sasuke frowns and the sense of relief in me vanishes when I realize I've said something wrong. "You would've never told me if it wasn't because Ino gave me your diary and I read it?" he asks, and he sounds so cold I feel like crying; he's never talked to me this way. "Do you realize what you're saying, Sakura?"

"No. I mean, yes." I take a step closer to him and hold his hands in mines. "Sasuke, c´mon, don't get mad again. Ino just wants to ruin my life because she likes you, remember? She wants to separate us. And yeah, I would've kept the secret if she hadn't done what she did, because it meant nothing and I just wanted to forget it happened. Besides, you didn't need to know about it."

"Of course I needed to know it!" he exclaims, and I think he'll let go of my hands, but he actually tightens his hold. "It's not okay to keep secrets from each other, Sakura. You should've trusted me."

"Everyone keeps secrets, Sasuke, and I don't understand why I can't," I say, suddenly annoyed. We all have dirty little secrets no one else should know, so what's wrong about me wanting to keep that one, anyways?

"You see?" He does let go of my hands this time, and he takes a few steps away from me. This makes me want to cry, somehow. "You are so selfish, Sakura. And also, where's your humility? Why can't you just apologize and accept you made an awful mistake? Why do you keep blaming everyone else except yourself?"

"It's not that!" I spat. "I told you, I wasn't thinking straight that night. My actions weren't my responsibilities."

"Were you drunk?" he asks, and I shake my head. "Then you were thinking straight. A broken heart doesn't make you stupid, Sakura, just sad. Don't kid yourself."

He turns around and starts walking away. My eyes start to water because I feel like he's not just walking away from me right now; I feel like he's walking away from me _forever,_ and that he's never going to come back.

"Sasuke!" I shout, and my voice sounds so broken I feel sorry for myself. Sasuke seems to notice how broken I sound, too, because he stops and turns around. He looks at me not with coldness, not with anger, but with sadness. "Please, don't walk away from me," I say, and then I start to sob.

"Sakura…" I can see in his eyes that he wants to reach out and hug me and console me, and he even takes a step closer, but then something seems to stop him and he looks away from me. "I'm sorry," he whispers, and then he's gone.

"Sasuke… no," I say, but no one hears me. I'm alone… so alone…

As I crouch down and hug myself tightly, sobbing desperately, I realize this is the real punishment I needed to learn that trusting Ino is the worst thing I can do.

* * *

_"As I fall and you turn away, you walk down corridors, miles away from my heart..._

_With the lights out, I hope you'll never leave my side._

_I promise to leave my weapons left by the bedside…_

_Screaming, I'll tear out – I'll tear out your heart."_

**_Empty corridors_**


	6. Chapter five

**_But uneasy souls are the lightest_**

_Chapter five_

* * *

**Hinata**

"Hinata, can I talk to you?"

I turn around, wondering who it is. I didn't recognize the voice at all, so I'm very surprised to see Sasuke there, and to realize he's the one who just spoke. I can't believe it for a moment; he sounded so different from himself! That voice was from someone cold, empty and apathetic that hates the world or something like that; not from Sasuke, the guy who's been so unusually happy and kind to everyone ever since Sakura became his girlfriend.

But my disbelief disappears when Sasuke speaks again.

"Please. It's something important. I know you're busy, but, really, it'll just take a few minutes… I guess."

I frown slightly, worried. This doesn't sound right; _he_ doesn't sound right. Something's wrong, and I don't know that just because of the emptiness and sorrow in Sasuke's eyes, or because of what he said (when someone says "we need to talk about something important", it means bad news are coming), but because I can _feel_ it. It's like a weird ache inside my chest, as if my ribs tightened its hold around my heart and lungs, and my pulse is getting quicker and my hands are starting to sweat.

I actually want to say no and run away and never find out about that bad news, but sooner or later I'll have to know, so I say, "Yeah, sure, Sasuke. And no, I'm not really busy, I'm just finishing my math homework, but it's not urgent, so we have all the time we need to talk."

"Good," he says with that weird voice that scares me so much. "Where can we talk in private?"

"Has Naruto told you about that place behind the auditorium? No one ever goes there, so we can-"

"No, not there!" he interrupts me abruptly. I raise an eyebrow at him, wondering why mentioning that made him react like this, but then he smiles, or at least tries to, and says, in a more normal tone, "I mean, it's way too lonely there. If someone sees us going there, only the two of us, they can misunderstand it."

He has a point, so I shrug his weird reaction off. "You're right. But then… where else can we go? Oh, wait, I know! The homeroom! Everyone is out here, or in the cafeteria, 'cause it's lunch time, but only a few people are in the homeroom, and I don't think they'll care about our conversation or interrupt us. We can sit in the furthest corner and talk there."

Sasuke nods and fixes his empty, sad, dark eyes on the ground. "Let's go, then."

* * *

**Hinata**

Just as I said, there are only a few people in the homeroom; just a group of girls talking and laughing loudly near the door and a couple of guys playing with their cell phones in a corner near the window. Sasuke and I walk towards the other corner of the classroom, and as I walk behind him, I can see the tension on his shoulders and the way his head bows. I remember he normally uses to walk with his chin raised high, as if he isn't afraid to face the world, and this change in him surprises me but, mostly, it makes my bad feeling grow. Even if the news he's going to tell me wouldn't affect me, I'm already worried about him. It's obvious something bad has happened.

And I can't help but wonder if it has to do with Sakura.

Did they break up? No, it can't be. Sakura would be crushed right now, and she would've run to me seeking for consolation, but I haven't seen her ever since she told me she was going to the library to read some science book to write a report about something.

So, no, they couldn't have broken up. Besides, c'mon, they're really in love. What could've possible made them so upset with each other?

I think of Ino, but I push the thought away. I don't even like to think about her. Besides, she has nothing to do with Sasuke and Sakura possibly breaking up, right? She likes the guy and hates Sakura and everything, but she doesn't seem to be so smart, so I don't think she could have found a way to make them break up.

Or at least that's what I hope.

Sasuke, sitting across from me, takes a deep breath, and then says, "This is hard to say. Not only because saying it aloud is painful, but because this whole situation has something to do with you, and I'll have to explain everything to you."

"Please don't tell me you broke up with Sakura," I burst out.

And then, the thing I feared the most happens: Sasuke nods. "We just talked. I came directly to you after it," he says, without looking at me, and then he exhales deeply and whispers, "Oh God." He covers his face with his hands and put his elbows on his knees.

I awkwardly pat his shoulder, an automatic reaction I always have when someone is sad. But, actually, I don't think Sasuke is just sad, I think he's two levels _beyond_ sad. I also think he's crying, because why else would a guy cover his face? Besides, he's sniffing. This disturbs me a lot, because guys cry only when they're really, _really_ upset, and if they cry for a girl, it's because they really love her – which comforts me a little, because it means Sasuke really loves Sakura.

But if he really loves her, then why did they break up? Or was it her the one who broke up with him? If so, why the hell did she do it? She's been in love with him for years, dammit, why did she let him go now that she has him?

"What happened?" I ask when Sasuke uncovers his face and leans back on his chair. His wet eyes and slightly red nose let me know he really was crying. It kills me to see him like this, but it also makes me wonder how Sakura is doing. She must be ten times worse, because she's a girl, and we girls cry a lot more than boys. I have the sudden urge of jumping up from my seat and run and find her, but Sasuke seems to need me right now, and if he wanted to talk to me it's because he has something important to say. Besides, I know Sakura, and I know that when she's really upset, she likes to cry alone first and then let someone console her.

Sasuke runs a hand through his hair and sighs. "It's a long story," he says, and then glances at his watch. "But we have time, so I guess I'll tell you now. Let me start for the beginning…"

He tells me about Ino suddenly wanting to talk in private to him. He tells me they talked in a public place because he knew Sakura wouldn't like it if they were too alone. He tells me what Ino told him, and then about the diary. He tells me how he didn't want to read it at first, and how Ino practically forced him to. He tells me Sakura wrote about keeping a "dirty little secret" from him. He tells me he thanked Ino, gave her the diary, and then walked away. He tells me that Sakura saw him talking to Ino and reading her diary. He tells me that she wanted to talk to him about it and that he took her to that place behind the auditorium (that's why he didn't want to come back there, I guess). He tells me they talked and then broke up – not officially, but it was pretty clear they couldn't be together anymore.

By the time Sasuke finishes telling me the whole story, I'm so shocked I can't move or say anything. I want to do so many things: run to Sakura and console her, because she really needs me after everything that has happened to her; run to Ino and slap the crap outta her because of what she's done; take the diary Ino stole and give it back to Sakura, because she probably misses it and doesn't want Ino to read it all; run to Naruto and ask for his advice; slap Sasuke across the face, right here and right now, because he shouldn't have listened to Ino and read Sakura's diary.

But I don't do any of them. Really, I'm just too shocked. Still, I manage to ask, "But, tell me one thing, what was that secret you read in Sakura's diary and that she kept from you? You omitted that part by just calling it "a dirty little secret", and I think I need to know it, because it's actually the reason this whole thing happened."

Sasuke hesitates before answering, and I take this as I really bad sing. "Right now I don't know if I should tell you," he says. "I came to you with the purpose of telling you, but now that I'm kind of less pissed and thinking clearly, I think I should talk to someone else before telling you. So, I guess that thanks for listening to me…"

"Oh, no, no, no," I say, grabbing his arm when he's about to stand up. "You are _so_ not leaving without telling me. You should've thought more about it before coming to me; now I'm not letting you go until you tell me what the hell that dirty little secret is about."

"Hinata, I really think I shouldn't-"

"I give a damn about what you should or should not do. Tell me right now, Sasuke. She's my best friend and I need to know everything. Besides, how terrible could that secret be? It's not as if she slept with another guy or something." I smile at the ridiculous idea, but Sasuke doesn't smile back. He actually bows his head until I can't see his face, and this makes my smile fade. "Sasuke?" I ask. "She didn't, right?"

"Kind of," he murmurs, still not looking at me.

"What do you mean with "kind of"?" I say, getting exasperated. "Sasuke, look at me!"

He obeys, and I instantly hope I hadn't ordered him to do it. He looks so dangerous… so scary… like a wild animal that's been hurt and is now seeking for revenge. "I mean that she _almost_ had sex with him," he says coldly. "And what I didn't want to tell you is that that "him" is Naruto."

My world stops, as does my heart. My first thought is that I must've heard wrong, because what Sasuke said is ridiculous and senseless. I even start to laugh, but my laughter sounds all shaky and nervous, as if I'm forcing myself to laugh. And the truth is that I am. I'm also forcing myself to not believe it, because I don't want to. I prefer to deny it, because denying it will make it less painful… at least at first.

Sasuke only stares at me, and the wild animal is gone and replaced by a human feeling very sorry for the person he's staring at. He's feeling sorry for me, and I can't think of a reason why he shouldn't. I mean, even _I _feel sorry for myself. _Poor pathetic girl_, I think. _The person you love the most has been lying to you. He also was in the arms of another woman and – guess what? That woman is your best friend! That's pretty fucked up, huh?_

_At least they didn't actually did _it, is all I come up with as a defense.

"Are you sure about that?" I manage to ask, and my voice is so low Sasuke barely hears me.

"She wrote that in the diary," he replies, "and she admitted it to me. She said it happened in your birthday party, when she saw us kissing. She ran away, crying, and Naruto went to console her. She said she was just trying to hurt you the way you had hurt her."

"Oh my God…" I whisper, utterly horrified. I admit I screwed it up when I kissed Sasuke, but firstly, I didn't know she'd see us, and secondly, it was just a kiss (an innocent kiss, because our tongues didn't even touch), and I planned nothing more than that. But Sakura tried to fuck the guy I liked, for God's sake! It isn't a fair payback!

"You know?" Sasuke suddenly says, glaring at the floor. "I am so glad Ino gave me Sakura's diary to read it. Sakura said she didn't tell me about the secret before because she forgot about it, and when she remembered, it was too late and she was afraid I'd get mad at them for keeping the secret for so long, but she also said she wouldn't have told me if it wasn't because of Ino. How selfish is that?"

Suddenly, a though that makes me forget about my sorrow (at least for a moment) strikes me. "But why did Ino do what she did, anyways? Why did she want you to know Sakura was keeping a secret from you? That's what I don't understand."

"She said she loved Sakura, but that she didn't want her to hurt other people because that'd end up hurting her," Sasuke says. "She also said I didn't deserve to be fooled."

"Then why did she go to you and not to me if she knew I'm involved too?" I ask. "I was being fooled too, right? Don't you think it's too suspicious?"

Sasuke shrugs. "I… I don't know, Hinata. But why are we questioning her actions, anyways? All she wanted to do was helping…"

I scoff. "Oh, c'mon, are you serious? I don't know Ino very well, but I can see she's not a saint, and that she'd rather flirt than help people, and I think you know that, too."

He hesitates, before replying, "You may be right. But… what is your point, exactly?"

"That she only meant to separate you guys!" I exclaim. "It makes a lot of sense. Ino likes you, Sakura noticed, and she warned you. And don't say Sakura may be wrong because it's so obvious even Naruto and I could see it!" _His _name came out of my mouth before I could even stop myself, and it burns my tongue like acid, but I just gulp, blink the tears away and continue talking. "Also, Ino hates Sakura because she's – I mean, _was_ your girlfriend, and, because she's a bitch, she gave a damn about Sakura being her best friend and stole her diary and let you know about Sakura's biggest secret so you'd break up with her. Now she'll try to win you. Don't you get it, Sasuke?"

He thinks for a moment, and then he nods and says, "I do get it. But, firstly, she'd never win me because I'm still in love with Sakura, and secondly, why do you think that makes a difference? Either she did it just for helping or to screw Sakura, what matter is that Sakura lied to me and, when we talked about it, she didn't even accept she made a mistake; she kept blaming everyone except herself, and saying her broken heart made her do stupid things. Even if she'd try to finally apologize now, I don't think I could forgive her…"

Sasuke covers his face and starts to quietly cry again. I feel like crying too, because I realize that's exactly what I think too: I don't think I can forgive Naruto, or Sakura, for this. _How could he? _I think. _How could _they_? She's my best friend, for God's sake! It doesn't matter it happened more than a month ago, or that it happened when he was still confused and thought he loved her, or that she just wanted to hurt me because I hurt her when I kissed the guy she liked. How could they do this to me? To _us_!_

"It's alright, we'll be alright" I say softly, starting to pat Sasuke's back again. I feel my eyes start to water, but I don't bother to hold back the tears. Crying is good; crying purifies you; crying will make the pain go away.

* * *

**Naruto**

Out of nowhere, his knuckles hit my mouth and make my lower lip crush against my teeth. I don't feel pain at first; the shock and the confusion have made me numb. But three seconds after I've hit the floor, I finally feel it. It's white, hot pain that makes my sight get blurry and bile rise up my throat. I raise my hand, the free one, the one I didn't use to keep my head from hitting the floor and breaking my skull, and touch my mouth. It's wet, and when I stretch my hand out, I see it's covered with a thick, crimson liquid. _I'm bleeding_, I think, and my mental voice sounds calm, almost amused.

The pain still makes me nauseous and dizzy, but taking care of it has moved down to be the last in my important-things-to-do list. Right now finding out who the fuck just punched me and made my lip bleed is at the top of said list, so, even though it costs me quite much, I look up at the person standing in front of me.

"What the fuck?" I say when my eyes focus, because, really, what the fuck? Is that really Sasuke, my best friend, or is it just some dangerous-and-pissed-off looking guy who looks a lot like him?

"That's exactly what I thought when I heard of that little dirty secret of yours, you asshole," the guy says, and I realize, feeling kind of disappointed, that, yes, that's my best friend.

But then my mind gets what he just said, and I frown. "What secret are you talking about?" I ask loudly, very confused. The dizziness has gone away, and, even though my back hurts like hell (I think I've hit the floor too hard), I force myself to stand up.

Sasuke doesn't answer my question. He just punches me again, this time on the left cheek bone, as if that'd make my doubt go away. I almost hit the floor again, but I manage to keep my balance, maybe because this time, unlike the first time he punched me, he doesn't catch me off guard. Still, the pain makes my sight get blurry again, and the world starts to spin around me.

"Sasuke, no!" someone shouts from somewhere and, suddenly, Sakura appears at Sasuke's side. She tugs from his sleeve, like a little girl trying to get her mom's attention, and I realize why I've compared her to a little girl: because she's crying, and when she cries she looks ten years younger.

Wait, Sakura is crying? On, shit, why is she crying? Is she scared because Sasuke punched me (twice) and I'm bleeding? The first thing I think is that I have to protect her, to make her think everything's okay even if it's not, to make her stop crying and smile again, because she's like a little sister to me and I've known her and protected her from everything and everyone that hurts her even since we were in kindergarten. She's my best friend, and I don't want her to cry.

But, when I try to take a step towards her, I stumble backwards, fighting to keep my balance, because I'm so dizzy I kind of feel like throwing up.

"Sakura, go away," Sasuke says. The coldness in his voice makes me turn my attention back to them, and when I see his face, I almost gasp, because he looks so tense, so dangerous, so… hurt. I've never seen him like this before, except for when he used to fight with his brother and he got angry but also very sad.

And, oh shit, are those tears in his eyes?

"Sasuke, please," Sakura sobs. "Please, stop. Don't hurt him…"

"You want to protect him, huh?" He smirks bitterly. "I should've expected this from you."

Sakura's shock-and-pain-filled eyes widen and she lets out a shaky breath, as if trying to calm herself down. "It's not that," she says. "Just don't start a fight here in the school, please. You'll get into trouble."

"Too late," he replies, and the smirk on his face turns scary as he stares at me smugly. "I already made him bleed. Besides, that's why I took him here, in this far place of the garden, where no one can see us and get us into trouble."

"Why are you doing this, bastard?" I shout, looking at him as if he disgusts me. And the truth is that he does, at least right now. First, he tricks me; then, he punches me; and now he treats Sakura like a piece of annoying shit? What the hell! "And this time do reply, because if you punch me again, I will punch back."

"I punched you because you deserve it," Sasuke says.

"And why the hell do I deserve it?" And, suddenly, my eyes widen in realization. "Oh God, I know why. Dude, I swear it wasn't my intention. It's just that I… I didn't have time to do it! My mom was moody all weekend and she made me do tons of chores. I ended up exhausted and I totally forgot about doing it."

Sasuke glares at me, but he looks confused. "Why are you talking about, moron?"

"About the report I copied from you!" I say. "The one for the history class. But, even if you got mad, I don't think it's a valid reason to punch me, you know? The teacher didn't even notice our reports were the same, and we-"

"You're an idiot," Sasuke interrupts, glaring harder. "That is not why I punched you. I didn't even know that until now."

Oh, crap. "Uh… oh." I laugh nervously, and the movement makes my hurt lip hurt and I gasp. "Shit, that hurt. But anyways, why did you punch me then, you jerk?"

Besides Sasuke, Sakura has stopped crying and she now looks ten years older. Her face is dead serious and her eyes are puffy and dry tears travel across her pale cheeks. "He found out about what happened in Hinata's birthday party, Naruto," she says. "Ino gave him my diary and he read it from there. We also broke up because of that."

"And I told Hinata about it, too," Sasuke adds, and what he said seems to shock us both Sakura and me, because we both stare at him with wide, shock-filled eyes. If I was shocked and utterly sad and scared when I heard Sasuke knows Sakura and I almost did _it_, knowing Hinata, my dear Hinata, knows it too, makes me feel like killing myself.

"What? Why?" Sakura asks as she starts to cry again.

"She had the right to know it," Sasuke replies, not looking at any of us.

"Where is she?" I ask him, and I'm surprised to realize that I sound like a little boy who's lost and alone. "Where is Hinata, Sasuke? I have to talk to her! I have to let her know it was a mistake and my fault and that I wish it would've never happened! I have to let her know I love her!" And only after those three words came out of my mouth, I realize it's true: I do love her, and a lot. Surprised, I repeat softly, "I… I love her."

"She's at the library," Sasuke says, and he doesn't look or sound pissed anymore. He actually looks at me as if he feels sorry for me, which surprises me.

I nod, turn around and start walking away, but Sasuke's voice stops me. "And Naruto," he says, and I turn around to look at him. "I'm sorry I punched you. Now I realize you didn't actually deserve it. Because at least you do accept you made a mistake and apologize for it." Sakura bows her head lower when he says that last sentence, as if he's said it because of her, and I suspect he has.

"No, man, you forgive me," I say, smiling even when my lip hurts. "But, well, at least I stopped myself before anything else happened that night, right?"

Sasuke rolls his eyes at me, but at least he smiles back. However, his smile fades when Sakura speaks. "Sasuke, he's right. Nothing else happened and it meant nothing for any of us. I'm really sorry. I'm also sorry I didn't apologize before. You're right, I'm selfish, but I want to change; I want to have you back."

"I don't want you to change, Sakura," Sasuke says, looking at her with pain-filled eyes. "I love you the way you are, and if you change, I wouldn't love you the same anymore. That's the sad part of this." And then he starts walking away, and even though Sakura calls his name, crying, he doesn't stop.

When he's gone, I ask Sakura, "You going to be okay?" Just when the words are finally out, I realize how stupid the question was, but Sakura smiles, or tries to, anyways.

"Honestly? No," she says. "But don't worry about me, you go to Hinata. Maybe she's more capable to forgive than Sasuke."

I smile sadly, and even though I wish I could stay with her and make her pain go away, I have to go to Hinata, so I just hug her briefly and then leave.

* * *

**Naruto**

Hinata is sitting in front of one of the many computers in the library. She turns to me just a second after I spot her, as if she's felt my presence. I think that's something cool; feeling each other's presences is what soul mates do, right? However, I realize that if we're really soul mates, this whole situation is really bad. What if I lose her? What am I going to do without my soul mate?

Ignoring my fear and trying to stay calm, I start walking towards her. Her eyes never look away from me, and I can see so many things in them, things that make my heart both ache and flutter at the same time, things that make me wish Sasuke had gave me more than just two punches. Under her gaze, I feel as if I've betrayed the person that trusted me the most, and I think that maybe I have.

"Sasuke did it, huh?" she says when I stop besides her, looking up at me with a sad smile on her pretty face. I'm surprised she spoke first; I had expected her to don't even want to talk to me, actually.

"You mean he punched me?" I chuckle, but just briefly, because smiling makes my bleeding lip hurt. "Yeah, he did. Did you know he was planning to do it?"

"Actually, I gave him my permission," she replies casually, standing up from her seat. "He wouldn't have done it if I would've said no."

I smile sadly. "I deserved it."

It wasn't a question, but she nods, anyways. "I think you deserved something worse, but at least it hurt, right?"

Her attitude confuses me, but also amuses me a lot, and I can't help but laugh. She sounds so casual, so not interested, as if she doesn't care about it at all; she also sounds so cruel, saying I deserve something worse than two simple punches that made my cheek bone get swollen and bruised, my lip bleed, my back hurt and my skull almost get broken.

"Yeah, it hurt," I admit. "It still hurts, actually. Smiling makes my lip bleed even more, and I think I broke a bone in my back or something, 'cause it hurts like hell and – oh, did I mention I grazed my right palm? I'll need some band aids for that and a bag of ice for my cheek bone."

Hinata laughs and I think this is so weird. We're supposed to be serious, dammit, because it's a really delicate subject, not to be laughing. But she doesn't seem to want to act seriously, and I think I understand why. Being serious would make this even harder.

"I'm not going to forgive you, Naruto," Hinata suddenly says, making my smile fade. "Not you, not Sakura. You guys messed up big time."

"Is there anything I can do to change your mind?" I ask lowly, and Hinata shakes her head. C'mon, Hinata," I beg. "I really regret it and I'm really an idiot but I don't-"

"Naruto, no," she interrupts me, closing her eyes and bowing her head. Her face finally shows how much I've hurt her, and a tear runs quietly through her pale cheek. I wipe it away with a finger, and she opens her eyes and looks at me. "It's useless. I won't change my mind. Just leave, okay?"

I don't want to leave. I want to stay with her, to hug her, to tell her I love her. I really, really want to tell her I love her. I even open my mouth to say it, but then I shut it again. It's not the perfect moment for a love confession, right? Besides, it'd be useless; she's said it: she's not going to forgive me, and I don't think three words will change that.

"So, we're over?" I ask, trying to hold back my tears (God, I'm such a pussy).

"Yes, we are," Hinata says and she stares at me for a long moment before suddenly kissing my cheek. "Bye, Naruto."

"Bye, Hinata," I reply, and then I turn around and walk away from my soul mate, still feeling her warm lips against my skin.

* * *

_"I try to remove this kiss but the lipstick won't rub off._

_You've left your imprint on me so there's nothing else but you…_

_I need a miracle that can save me from your cruel love."_

**_Cruel love_**

* * *

Notes: What a long chapter! D; Please review. :3


	7. Chapter six

_**But uneasy souls are the lightest**_

_Chapter six_

* * *

**Sakura**

It's raining. The raindrops fall noisily against the asphalt and give the afternoon a gloomy appearance. It's as if the sky is crying – as if the sky is as sad as me. It shares my pain. The weather fits my mood perfectly, and that would make me smile, but I don't feel like smiling anymore – not now, not never.

I like the rain, and I'd love to dance under the raindrops, stretch my arms out, spin around and laugh at the feeling of the cold water against my warm skin. I remember I used to do that a lot when I was a kid. I did it when my mom wasn't home, because she didn't let me do it; she used say I would catch a cold. And she was right, as always. Every time I danced under the rain I got sick… but it was worth it; I don't regret any second of it.

But I'm not a kid anymore. No matter how much I want to do it, I can't just walk out of the classroom, run downstairs and go outside to dance like an idiot and get wet. No matter how happy that'd make me, it's stupid. I'm a mature girl, everyone says so, and I have to prove them right. I've to act like an adult.

I sigh. My breath leaves the window steamed up. I stare at the small circle of steam and then raise a finger and draw a heart on it, just as I used to do when I was a kid. I wonder why I'm suddenly feeling like doing things I did as a kid, but I don't bother to answer myself. I stare at the small heart I have drawn, and decide to modify it. My finger traces a zigzagged line through the heart, turning it into a broken heart, just like the one I have inside my chest.

God, I am so emo. But really, it's not my fault; which girl doesn't get emo when she breaks up with her boyfriend, the one she's had a crush on since she first met him? Which girl doesn't get emo when her childhood best friend betrays her in a horrible way? And which girl doesn't get emo when her actual best friend finds out she almost had sex with her boyfriend?

Oh, no, scratch that. It's _ex_-boyfriend. Naruto hasn't told me anything, but I can see they're not together anymore. Firstly, because they're seated as far from each other as they can be; secondly, because they both look as if they're in a funeral instead of in English class; and thirdly, Hinata doesn't even look at me, which obviously means she hates me now.

I sigh again, and my breath steams up the heart I've drawn, leaving it faint-looking. I turn my head away from the window and fix my eyes on the person sitting two desks ahead of me. I used to think I wasn't masochist, and that's why I didn't slap myself across the face when I was thinking I made a horrible mistake yesterday, when I didn't kick Ino out of my room before she stole my diary. But right now, staring at his broad shoulders, his white nape of the neck and his spiky raven hair, I realize I am, because only a masochist would look at something – at someone – that reminds her of so many things that cause her so much pain.

I look away, staring at the letters-filled pages of my English book, as if I'm reading, which I'm not. I'm also not listening to what my English teacher says; I'm hearing it, but I don't even bother to translate his words to my language to understand it. I don't care about English right now; I don't care about school; I don't care about life; I don't care about anything…

_Except Sasuke. _

_Shut up!_ I order the very annoying, yet very honest voice in my head. _I already know that; you don't need to say it._

But I can't stop thinking about it. The voice is very right, so right it pains me to admit it. Sasuke is the only thing I care about, the only thing I need… he's a person, not a thing, but you get my point. He's everything to me, and I've lost him. He'll never be mine again. He hates me.

_And it's all because of Ino._

The voice, again, is extremely right. I know Sasuke said I was selfish because I kept blaming everyone except myself, but I know Ino is as guilty as I am, and maybe even more. I probably would've told Sasuke about the secret one day, when so many years would have passed that none of us would've cared much about it and we'd have forgotten it instantly. But Ino messed it all up. It's her fault.

And I suddenly realize I need to talk to her. I need to know why she did it, why she hates me so much. I've never done anything to hurt her, have I? And I don't think she did it just to make Sasuke and I break up because she likes him. She can't be that much of a bitch, right? She definitely had another reason to do it. And I need to know it.

I take the notebook under my English book and rip a sheet out as the teacher continues babbling about English grammar. With my black pen, I write on it and then neatly fold the sheet into a small square. I write _**From Sakura**_ on it, and then tap the shoulder of the girl sitting in front of me.

"Pass it to Ino," I mutter, handing her the improvised letter over her shoulder. She nods and takes the little paper square, then passes it to the boy beside her, muttering the same words I said.

A minute later, the letter finally gets to Ino, who is sitting at the other side of the classroom, without the teacher noticing, which is perfect; I wouldn't have liked the teacher to read the message out loud, for everyone to hear it. I watch as Ino unfolds the paper, not looking surprised or confused at all, as if she'd been expecting it. It takes only five seconds for her to finish reading the message, and she turns her head and our eyes meet. I don't look away; I stare back at her, expressionless. It's as if we're proving how much courage we have as we held each other's gazes.

Suddenly, the bell rings, announcing the English class, the last class of the day, is finally over. School has come to an end, for today. It's been one of the longest days of my life, and it's not even over yet, but at least I can finally go home, lock myself into my room and cry myself to sleep until the morning (seriously, I'm turning into an emo).

The teacher dismisses us and everyone stands up from their seats and exits the classroom. Ino and I look away at the same time, making it a tie, and follow our classmates out. She exits the classroom first, because she was closer to the door than me, but I'm surprised to find her waiting for me, leaning against the wall. I walk towards her, trying to keep my face from showing my emotions, and she finally looks at me when I'm standing in front of her.

"Know a place where we can talk?" I ask, and I'm glad my voice sounds so normal, as if I'm asking about the weather and she's not the person I hate the most right now.

"Sure. My limousine," she says, smirking, and when I stare at her with confusion, she rolls her eyes and adds, "It's raining. You walk to school, don't you?" I nod. "Well, you'll get wet if you don't get a ride home. And I also feel like saying hi to your mom and thank her for the cookies she baked for me yesterday."

"Oh," I say brilliantly. "Okay… I guess. But you're not stepping into my house ever again. You got it?"

"It's not as if I want to," Ino replies, scowling, "but your mom loves me, and she may want to invite me in, you know? In that case, I'm helpless…. unless you tell her we hate each other; that'd change everything."

"I don't want mom to get into my business," I say, frowning at the wall behind Ino. "She'll get worried, and will want to help me, and will probably scold me, especially if she finds out what Sasuke found out by reading my diary."

It seems so weird to be talking to Ino about the diary and Sasuke and what happened between me and Naruto so normally. But, really, what else do I do? She already knows it all, I already know it all, and it's stupid to pretend we don't. We know we despise each other and that our friendship is gone and replaced by hatred, but we also know fighting or bickering will not help and that we need to talk. It's simple like that, and we both have some sense, so we cooperate.

Ino nods, understanding. "Okay. Then let's pretend we're still friends… at least in front of your mom."

"Did you bring an umbrella?" I ask her as we head to our lockers.

"No," she replies. "How would I've known it was going to rain today?"

"Well, luckily, I do have an umbrella in my locker, for emergencies. And because I'm not cruel, as we head to the place your chauffer will pick us up, I guess you can stand under my umbrella."

"Ella, ella, eh, eh, eh," Ino sings without enthusiasm, and I have to bite my lip to keep myself from smiling.

* * *

**Naruto**

"My brother is picking me up today. Do you want me to give you a ride home?" Sasuke asks as he puts his street shoes on.

I close my locker and put my hoodie on. Man, I'm cold! Just a few hours ago, the day was sunny and warm, and, out of nowhere, it started raining. The weather is crazy… or probably just wanted to adjust to me, turning all sad and cold for this crappy day I've had.

"Sure, thank you," I reply, smiling at Sasuke. I think it's awesome we're all cool and normal right after he found out I almost had sex with his girlfr – I mean, _ex_- girlfriend. Maybe Sasuke is just grateful I stopped before something actually happened. Or maybe he just wouldn't dare to end our friendship. I know I wouldn't. I've known him for too many years, and we've shared too many experiences, to send this to hell just because of a girl and a mistake.

But suddenly, I remember something. "But, what about Sakura? We walk home together, and I don't know if she has someone to give her a ride yet…" I hesitate before adding, "Would you give her a ride home too, if she needs it?"

I prepare myself to hear him reply, "_Hell no, screw that slut,_" or something mean and cruel like that, but instead, he shrugs and says, "Sure. Even after all she did and said, I still care about her, you know? And I'm not an asshole, in spite of what you think, Naruto. I wouldn't let anyone walk home under this rain. Hey, do you have an umbrella?"

"Yeah," I say, pulling the zip of my hoodie up and the hood over my head. "Here." I reach for my backpack, take my umbrella out and show it to him.

"Good, because I have only one and walking together under the same umbrella would look too gay."

I laugh. "What's wrong, sweetie? Are you afraid people would find out about us?"

"Bite me, moron."

I laugh some more and sit on the floor to put my shoes on. Sasuke is already ready, so he tells me to hurry up and that he'll be waiting for me outside. I just nod and blow a kiss to him, getting another insult from him. I'm still smiling when he leaves and, just three seconds later, Sakura and Ino enter the lockers' room. Together.

I stop tying my shoe laces to gape at them – or actually, at Sakura. What the hell! Did she really just come into a room with Ino, the bitch that made her break up with Sasuke?

I silently watch as they put on their street shoes and their coats to keep themselves warm in this rainy afternoon. They aren't talking, and anyone who doesn't know what happened and hadn't seen them enter the room together would think they don't even know each other. But I know better.

I clear my throat, loudly, trying to get Sakura's attention. And I do get it. She turns to me, surprised, as if she didn't know I was there. "What are you doing?" I mouth, frowning, and then jerk my chin towards the blonde girl besides her, who is too busy glossing her lips to notice me.

Sakura glances at Ino. "I'll explain it to you later," she mouths back, giving me a calm-down-you-hysteric-person look. "Don't worry about it."

Ino closes her locker right then. She turns to Sakura, who is still looking at me, and follows her gaze. She raises a perfectly-plucked blond eyebrow at me, and then turns back to Sakura, as if she gives a damn about me. "Ready?"

"Yeah," Sakura says tensely, putting a scarf around her neck. "Let's go."

They exit the room, and when they're gone, I hear someone saying, "What the hell?" Without turning to see who it was, I reply, "I know."

But right then, I realize I know that voice, and when I turn my head to the left, I see Hinata standing in front of her locker, staring at me. God, I've forgotten her locker is there!

"What did she mouth?" she asks normally, as if we didn't just break up a few hours ago.

"Uh… that she'll explain it to me later," I reply. "And that I don't have to worry about it."

"Oh," Hinata says, staring at the door the girls who are supposed to don't stand breathing the same air but are actually together just exited. She then closes her locker, swings her backpack over her shoulder, and stares at me for a long moment. "Bye," she finally says.

"Uh, bye," I awkwardly reply, fixing my eyes on my shoe. She passes in front of me and then exits the room.

When she's gone, I sigh deeply, and then start to hit my head against the locker behind me, muttering, "Stupid, stupid, stupid," to myself. I should've stopped her and tried to convince her – again – to forgive me! Now she's gone and I've lost my chance. I'm such a big idiot!

But, well, there's no turning back. I have to get over this… she wants me to. So I stand up, grab my things and exit the room.

* * *

**Ino**

I would've loved a picture of Sasuke's pretty face when he saw me and Sakura walking under the same umbrella, as if we were still the best friends ever. I would've put it on my night table, to look at it every night and laugh before I went to sleep. It would've been awesome.

But there were no cameras around and my cell phone's camera is broken (stupid piece of crap), so my dream will never come true – unless I manage to do something as shocking as being with Sakura right after everything that happened in front of him and then get a camera and take the picture, but I can't think of another way to shock him that way, so I'll have to resign myself.

"Is that it?" Sakura asks over the sound of heavy raindrops crashing against the asphalt. We're standing on the edge of the sidewalk, right in front of the school, and my ex-bestie is staring at the black limousine making a sharp U turn.

"Of course," I reply. "Who else goes to this school and has a rich daddy able to afford a car like that to pick her daughter up from school?"

"Talking about your rich daddy," Sakura comments, "why do you attend this school? It's public, you know? And that means it's not for preppy kids like you. You should be attending a private school or something of your level," she finished sarcastically.

"I know, and, believe me, it's not that my parents are cheap or something," I say as the limousine approaches us. "I actually attended a private school back in France. But I told my dad I wanted to attend this school because you were here."

Sakura stares at me with raised eyebrows, but whatever she planned to say is interrupted by the limousine parking in front of us, the chauffer getting out of it and me telling him, "I'll take my friend home. She's the one I visited yesterday, remember?"

"Yes, miss," the chauffer replies as he opens the door, holding an umbrella for us. Sakura closes her umbrella and we both hurry into the dry, warm limousine.

When the door is closed behind us, I sigh. "Well, it's not going to be a long trip," I say, "so let's hurry up talking."

"Let's go straight to the point, then," Sakura says as the chauffer gets back into the limousine and starts the engine. She looks at me in such a serious way that she kind of scares me. "Why did you do it, Ino? Why did you steal my diary and then made Sasuke read my biggest secret?"

I roll my eyes. "Isn't it obvious? I like the guy, you are his girlfriend, and what do I do? Make you guys break up, of course. Besides, I'm pretty smart, you know? Even though I don't want to show it in school, I am. The best plan I came up with was stealing your diary. Also, I know you; I know you're so pathetic that you write absolutely everything exciting that happens in your life on that stupid little notebook, 'cause you're a loser and don't have friends to talk to." I am joking, of course, because she does have friends, but Sakura gets offended anyways.

"I already want to beat the crap out of you, Ino, so don't push me into doing it right now and right here." She sighs deeply, trying to control herself. "Anyways, I know you like Sasuke and you wanted me and him to break up, but I also know that's not the only reason why you did it."

I smirk. So she isn't as stupid as she seems, huh? "Wow, how did you know it?"

Sakura looks away. "I know you."

"I know you do." I sigh. "Okay, you probably won't remember it, but I'll say it anyways. It's all about the ribbon."

Sakura stares at me as if I've grown udders on my forehead. "What ribbon?"

I smirk again and glance at my perfect nails, not wanting to look at her. "The ribbon I gave you when we first met, the red one," I start. "You threw it on my face the day we had that cat-fight back in elementary school, when you found out I liked Sasuke too. That day, you almost ended our friendship just because of a boy. It's been like a decade, but I finally found the perfect chance to get my revenge."

"You did the same thing I did," Sakura says lowly, understanding. "You hurt me as much as I hurt you. You betrayed me because I betrayed you too." She fixes her shock-filled eyes on her lap. "Oh God, I get it now," she whispers, and then her eyes start to water

"Please," I say with disgust, rolling my eyes. "Don't cry here. You'll stain the limo with your tears."

Sakura sniffs and wipes her eyes. "You're right, I'll stain them," she says, and then glances through the tinted glass. "Besides, we're getting close to my house. I'll wait until I'm in my room."

The car stops and Sakura and I wait patiently for the chauffer to open the door for her. I feel good, even though I had expected myself to cry at the memory too. But seems like I underestimate myself; I'm not a crying-baby like Sakura, which is awesome. I'm stronger that her. Now the only thing left to do for me to be the happiest girl ever is to be Sasuke's girlfriend.

Oh, yeah, I want to hurt Sakura some more. She deserves it.

The chauffer finally opens the door for Sakura, but before she gets out, she turns to me and says, "Ino, I'm really so-"

"Oh, no, don't say it," I interrupt, glaring at her. "I don't need your stupid apologies, so just shove them up your ass and get out of my limo, okay?"

She looks like she wants to punch me, but instead she says, "Whatever. Can I have my diary back?"

I roll my eyes and take her stupid diary out of my purse. "Here," I say, throwing it at her, and she almost doesn't catches it. "I already read it all, anyways."

Sakura's frown deepens but doesn't say anything else. She gets out of the limo without looking back, and I watch her walk towards her house with a triumphant smirk on my face until the chauffer closes the door.

_Everything went as I planned_, I think satisfactorily as the chauffer starts the engine.

* * *

"_I suffer when I love her, but it seems easier to let go._

_Just hold on. I'll stay strong. I won't let go._

_Fading, as I'm breathing you in._

_This bridge won't stand both our weight."_

_**Collapsing in bridges**_

* * *

Notes: This one is shorter, and I feel like it's kinda incomplete. :/ Anyways, JUST BE GOOD AND REVIEW! ;D


	8. Chapter seven

_**But uneasy souls are the lightest**_

_Chapter seven_

* * *

**Sakura**

If I thought I was becoming an emo before, now I know it for sure. I feel so sad, so emotional, and so angry at myself! Honestly, I do feel like cutting my wrists, like turning into a masochist or something, but, no, I won't do it. I have to stay optimistic and to think that things can always be worse and can always get better. Or at least I have to hope so. Besides, if someone sees the scars on my wrists, they'd want to send me to the psychologist or something worse, like a mental hospital.

Though, now that I think about it, I think I do need a psychologist; not a psychiatrist, 'cause I'm not _that_ bad, but a professional who would listen to me and help me with my problems. Well, I don't mind if they can't help me, actually; I just need someone who would listen to me, give me their shoulder to cry, and tell me that everything's going to be fine even if they are not sure.

I need a friend.

The first person that comes to my mind is Hinata, but she hates me, and if I call her now, she'll hang up in the moment she hears my voice. But I can't blame her. I know how it feels like to know that your best friend kissed your boyfriend, or well, the guy you like, because she did it before I did what I did. That was actually the reason I did what I did – or was about to do it, whatever – with Naruto: because she kissed Sasuke.

I shouldn't have done it. I should've been more mature and thought about the consequences of my actions. But I was sad, and crying, and desperate to make her pay. It was a mistake, and that is clear, but… no matter how much I wish it, there's no time machine to send me back to that night in Hinata's bathroom. And that sucks.

The second person to come to my mind after I've ruled Hinata out is Ino. But, well, calling her would be even stupider than calling Hinata, because I feel this way because of her. Not only did she make me break up with Sasuke, which broke my heart, but she also made me remember a bad memory I had completely forgotten about.

God, I'm such an idiot. My first mistake wasn't to almost have _you know what_ with Naruto, or to write it on my diary. My first mistake was to be so… how can I say it? I can't say "childish" because, well, I was a child. Maybe… shallow? Yeah, "shallow" would work. My first mistake was to be so shallow and to almost end one of the greatest friendships I've ever had just because of a boy. If I hadn't done that, Ino wouldn't have done what she did and none of this would be happening right now and I'd be… I'd be happy.

I know this question is predictable, but: how could I? Was I _that_ stupid? It's just senseless to tell your best friend you don't want to be her best friend anymore just because she likes the same boy you like. I cannot believe I did it.

_But you were only six years old_, a voice in my head says, and I'm surprised because I actually remember when it happened. And also, thinking hard as I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling with puffy eyes, I'm surprised I remember exactly how it happened, too.

I like Sasuke ever since I met him, which happened only days after I befriended Naruto. We were five years old, we were so innocent and young, but even then he made me fall hard in love with him. He was just so cool, mysterious, cute and different from anyone else, that I was instantly interested in him. I was also so excited because he was the first boy I ever liked, and I couldn't stop talking about him to my friends.

"He's just so cute and cool and awesome!" I used to tell them. "His name is Sasuke, and he goes to a private school, and he's also very smart! He always gets good grades. Everyone likes him, even though he's kind of cold and quiet, but, really, he's super popular!"

My friends always squealed, excited and happy for me, and then asked me when they'd meet him or if I could bring a photo of him or something. I always shook my head and told them I didn't want them to see how cute he was and like him too, because he was mine. Some mean girls said I didn't want to show him to them because he didn't exist and I just made it up to look cool, but I didn't care; I knew he was real and that he belonged only to me.

And then, in second grade, a couple years after I've first met him, he stopped going to a private school to go to my school, because he wanted to be with Naruto. I was so happy and excited I would see him every day, I forgot about everything else.

But my happiness was replaced by anger when almost every girl in the class was amazed by his looks and mysteriousness in his first day of school. I was so upset I even wished he'd go back to his stupid private school, and so jealous I stopped talking to several friends just because they liked him too.

The only friend I knew who didn't like Sasuke and the only that stayed with me no matter how mean I was to the other girls, was Ino. She didn't even like him, and she thought he was just a pretty boy with a very rude and annoying attitude, or so she said. I always defended him, of course, but we never discussed because I wasn't mad at her; actually, I loved her even more because she wasn't any competition for me.

Ino and I were best friends even before Sasuke came into my life. We met in kindergarten, and, because she defended me from mean kids making fun of my forehead and helped me gain some self-confidence, we instantly became besties. When Sasuke arrived and she was the only friend I had who didn't like him, our bond became even stronger.

Until, one day in that same year Sasuke came to my school, I borrowed her notebook because I hadn't done the homework and had to copy it from her. I was leafing through the notebook and, suddenly, a piece of paper fell out of it. I picked it up and read. It said Sasuke's name all over it, with tons of hearts around it, and there was even a draw of a boy and a girl kissing, with _**MR. SASUKE UCHIHA **_written over the boy's head and _**MRS. INO UCHIHA**_ written over the girl's head.

My eyes widened and shock paralyzed me. I was as shocked as I had been when I found out Sasuke liked Hinata, or as shocked as I had been when I saw the two of them kissing. Well, no. Honestly, even more. I guess I was actually as shocked as I had been when I saw Ino giving Sasuke my diary, which has been the most shocking thing that has ever happened to me.

I was also very hurt; it was the first time I felt that strange ache in the chest that means your heart is metaphorically broken.

But anger shadowed sadness. I felt so betrayed, so naïve. _How could I trust her?_ I wondered angrily. I put the notebook back into Ino's backpack, stood up from the bench I was sitting on and stormed over her. She was just a few meters away from me, sitting on the grass with a group of girls who were still her friends but not mine anymore because they liked Sasuke. I glared at the group as I walked. _Crew of stupid, ugly bitches_, I thought and I didn't even felt bad about using a cuss word. _Sasuke is only mine._

"INO!" I yelled, standing behind her.

Ino turned around and looked at me with wide eyes. "What is it, Saks?" she asked, trying to smile. "Why do you look so angry? Your face is red like a tomato."

"The tomato girl!" a girl exclaimed, and the others laughed.

That was it. I exploded. "I saw your fucking piece of paper," I told Ino, forcing myself to cuss at loud to sound more badass and angry. "The one with Sasuke's name written all over it. The one with the draw of you and him fucking _kissing_."

Ino, looking shocked by my cussing, turned pale and slowly stood up. "I-I don't know what y-you're talking ab-about," she stuttered pathetically.

"Yes, you know, bitch!" I yelled, and Ino cringed at the last word. The other girls where watching us, scared of me, but I gave a damn about them. "Stop lying to me! You were supposed to… supposed to…" I sniffed, realizing I was already crying. "You were supposed to be my best friend and I loved you because you were the only one not competing for Sasuke with me."

"Oh, Sakura… You see?" Ino said, starting to cry too. "This is why I never told you. This is why I lied to you. I didn't want you to hate me as much as you hate the others girls 'cause… 'cause you're my bestie." We both started sobbing then.

"But it doesn't matter, 'cause I already hate you, Ino," I said, taking the red ribbon I always used as a hairband, the ribbon she gave me when we first met, off my head. _Use it as a hairband to hold your tuft back_, she had told me that day we met, handing said ribbon to me and smiling sweetly. _You look way prettier with your forehead uncovered, and, don't worry, I'll make sure those mean kids stop making fun of you_.

I gave Ino the ribbon… well, no, actually, I threw it at her face, and then I turned around and ran away, crying. Just a couple days later, we had a catfight, and then, just a week later, we reconciled, agreeing to like Sasuke but don't talk about it, and that if one of us managed to make him like her back, the other would just step back. And then we lived happily ever after, even after she moved to France, because we still talked on the phone every week.

But I knew Ino never got over it like me. I knew what happened hurt her even more than me. I also knew she'd fall for Sasuke again when she saw him; that's why I was so anxious and insecure when I found out she was coming back to Japan. However, now that I think about it and try to imagine being in her place, I realize she suffered a lot. I mean, imagine how hard it is to like the guy your best friend likes and have to keep it as a secret, and then to have her really mad at you when she finds out about it. It'd suck.

However, I never expected Ino to take revenge. I mean, if I were her, I wouldn't have taken it, because it happened years ago and things are different now; we're not kids anymore, and the past has to stay dead. But I guess that liking Sasuke again impelled her to do what she did, because maybe she thought she'd stone two birds at once: take revenge and get the hot guy.

But I still wouldn't have done it if I were her. I'm not that mean.

There's no point on thinking more about that, so I decide to push the subject out of my mind. Besides, it's making my head hurt. Maybe that head ache is also because I haven't eaten; I just came from school, ran upstairs, locked myself in my bedroom and threw myself on the bed. Mom has come a few times, asking if I was okay and if I wanted to eat something. I told her I was fine, that I just had a headache, and that I wasn't hungry, not actually lying to her except for the being fine part.

I close my eyes and force myself to fall asleep, which is not hard because I've cried a lot and crying makes me sleepy, and, as I drift off, I feel very glad to finally escape from my ugly, unbearable reality.

* * *

**Sasuke**

I come home after the longest day of my life – well, school day, actually, because the day is not over yet, it's just afternoon, which sucks, because I really want this day to be over. My house is empty, as always. My parents are working and my brother is somewhere else (he didn't tell me where he'd go after he took Naruto to his house and then dropped me here, but he probably went back to his university or is with one of his many girlfriends). I think I'll be alone until the sky goes dark, which means I have a lot of time for myself. Normally, that'd make me feel glad, but today it makes my feeling of unbearable loneliness increase.

I go to the kitchen and prepare myself a sandwich. I'm not really hungry, but I don't like to skip meals; my mom has taught me well. The sandwich tastes like nothing in my mouth, not because my sense of taste is damaged or something, but because I think my brain doesn't care about silly things like tasting right now; it's too busy thinking about what happened today. I really hate remembering it, but my mind is stubborn and the moments keep replaying and replaying in my head. The feelings are very real every time the scenes replay instead of feeling distant, like a memory, which sucks.

I finish eating and walk slowly upstairs, feeling as exhausted as I would feel after running a marathon. I hear thunders outside, and I think it's weird how even the weather adapts to this sad, sad day. I like rainy days because they're cold and comfortable and inspire me, but today I like them even more because I don't know if I could've bore a sunny, happy day right now.

I go to my room, which is dark and cold. I don't turn the lights on, because darkness works for me right now. I just close the door behind me and get under the covers of my bed. I want to sleep, to escape from reality, but I feel as awake as ever even though I'm exhausted. That annoys me. Why can't I fall asleep now that I really want and need to?

Thinking about the word "annoy" reminds me of _her,_ and I hate it. I remember the time she told me she thought she wasn't pretty, and then I told her that she was annoyingly beautiful. I remember the time I first kissed her, in the janitor's room. I remember her smell of cherries that made me feel in heaven. I remember the softness of her skin and the gentleness of her lips. I remember how she drove me crazy every time she giggled stupidly, because of how cute and pretensions-free she looked.

But then I remember how I imagined her with Naruto, in his arms, half-naked, when I read her diary, and I clench my fists.

I know it is weird that I forgave Naruto and not her when they both messed up big time, but I forgave him because: a) He was the one who stopped himself before something actually happened; b) Unlike Sakura, he accepted he screwed it up and apologized sincerely; and c) I know him ever since we were kids, and he's always been my best friend and the person that knows and understands me the most, and I think it'd be stupid to end with my first real friendship only because of a stupid mistake. So, yeah, I don't regret forgiving him… and I don't regret not forgiving Sakura, either.

I wonder, not for the first time in the day, why she didn't tell me what happened between her and Naruto. I know he kept the secret too, but Sakura disappoints me more because I know Naruto is an idiot. From him, I do believe he didn't tell me or Hinata about it because he forgot it, but not from Sakura. She's too smart. So I think she lied to me; I think she always remembered it but never dared to tell me. But… why didn't she dare to do it? She said she didn't want me to get mad at them, and I admit I would've gotten mad, but not as mad as I got today, more than a month later.

She definitely should've told me and been sincere. And I know she knows that too.

Finally, I start to feel sleepy, and I close my eyes and fall asleep, lulled by the sound of the rain outside.

* * *

**Sasuke**

The sound of my ringtone wakes me up. It jolts me awake, and for a moment I don't know where I am or how I got here, but then my sight adjust to the darkness around me and I realize that I'm in my room, in my house, and I hear that it's raining outside, and, just like that, all of my memories come back. The depression tires me, but I force myself to take my cell phone, which is lying on my night table, to shut it the hell up.

I look at the screen and see Naruto's name. I reluctantly push the **ANSWER** button and press the phone against my ear. "What do you want, Naruto?" I ask.

"_Sasuke…_" His tone instantly alarms me and makes my tiredness vanish. "_Sasuke, something horrible has happened…_"

"Why are you crying, Naruto?" I demand, feeling my heart pump blood through my veins unusually quickly. "What's happened?"

"_It's Sakura…_" he says, and just by hearing her name I know something's extremely wrong and I freeze. "_She has…_" He sobs for a moment, and then bursts out, "_She has committed suicide, Sasuke! She's dead! She cut her fucking wrists and she… she…_" I never get to know how the sentence finished because he breaks down into desperate sobs and I hung up and throw my cell to the floor, not caring that'd break it.

I feel so shocked I move like a robot, automatically and stiffly. My brain understands the situation, but my heart doesn't want to accept it. _She's gone_, is all I can think of. _She's gone… forever_. _And she didn't take me with her... What am I going to do without her? _

And then, as if a door in my heart has been opened to let acceptance in, I scream.

* * *

**Sasuke**

I wake with a jolt and gasping for air. My hands are shaking and, even though my room is still cold, I'm sweating. I blink several times and realize I've been crying in my sleep when I feel warm, heavy tears run down my temples and fall on my pillow.

I can hear it's still raining outside as I sit up and run a hand through my hair, letting a shaky breath out. My hands just won't stop shaking. I feel as if I have a big hole in my chest and all I can think about is how weird and terrifying my dream was.

Because it was a dream, right? It couldn't have been real because I just woke up from my nap.

Unless I fell asleep right after Naruto called and I'm just confused.

I have to make sure that's not true, so I grab my cell phone (it's on the night table, which is good, because in my dream I had thrown it to the floor). My fingers move quickly, urgently, over the keys and then I press the cell against my ear and wait for what seem the longest three phone rings of my life.

Finally, a guy answers the phone. "_Hello?_" It's Sakura's brother, and I feel just slightly more relieved because he sounds normal and not depressed as he would've sounded if my dream had actually been real… unless he just doesn't know about Sakura yet.

"It's me, Sasuke," I say quickly. "Put Sakura on the phone, please."

"_Finally!_" he exclaims. "_She's been locked in her bedroom for all afternoon and it's strange to not have her here to annoy me. I was waiting for you to finally call her and bright her day and make her be her normal self again._"

I ignore the fact that she's been locked in her room all afternoon (what if my dream was actually a premonition and she's already dead and no one knows it yet because she hasn't come out of her room?), and I say, "Yeah, whatever. Just put her on the phone. Now."

"_Alright, alright, don't be so bossy_," Sakura's brother says and then I hear his voice more distant when he yells, "_Hey, Saks! Your boyfriend's on the phone, and he wants to talk to you, so come down here!_"

I can't express with words how relieved I am when I hear her voice, sounding very distant, but very alive. "_Shut up and stop bothering me, Sasori! I'm not in the mood for your moronic jokes!_"

"_I'm not joking!_" Sasori yells back. "_He's really on the phone and he wants to talk to you!_"

"_Yeah, right, and I have a purple unicorn… from the Pink Panties land…"_ There's a pause and then she says, "_Whatever, just leave me alone! I want to sleep!_"

"_Holy fuck, Sakura, cut the crap out!_" Sasori says, annoyed. "_Just come down and talk to the guy! Why don't you believe me?_"

"_JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"_

"_I won't leave you alone until you come down! AND DON'T YELL AT ME!_"

There's a pause and then Sakura finally says, "_FINE! I'll go, but if you're joking, I swear for our mother that I'm going to beat the shit out of you, Sasori_."

"_She's coming_," Sasori says to me.

I don't know if I should or should not hang up now that I know I was really dreaming and she's okay. I want to hang up because I don't know what to tell her, but if I do it then Sakura will beat the shit out of Sasori, as she said, because she'll think he was lying about me, and that doesn't sound fair.

But before I can decide, I hear Sakura's voice through the phone. "_Hello?_" She sounds annoyed, as if she's really expecting it to be all a cruel joke from Sasori.

I still don't have idea what I'm going to tell her now, and I don't reply a word, too focused on desperately thinking what to do. Hang up? Not hang up and tell her that I had a dream in which she died and I just wanted to make sure it was just a dream? Or not hang up and use any excuse to get out of this situation?

"_Is anyone there?_" Sakura asks, sounding even more annoyed.

"Yes," I blurt out. "It's me."

"_Oh_," is all she says.

"How… how are you?" I ask, trying to ease the tension.

"_Is that really you, Sasuke?_" Sakura asks doubtfully.

"Yeah," I say.

"_Oh_," she says again, and I hear she is really surprised.

"How are you?" I repeat.

"_I'm fine, but… confused. Why did you call me?_"

"Because, uh, I had a dream in which you died. It freaked me out and… I wasn't really sure if it had really been a dream or not, so… I decided to call you to make sure you were still… alive."

There's a long pause and then she asks, "_You would still care if I died, even after what happened?"_

"Of course!" I say instantly. "You're still, like, special to me. Why does it surprise you?"

"_Because you hate me. You don't care about people you hate's deaths_."

"I don't hate you, Sakura," I say, feeling guilty. I was so mean to her that she thinks I hate her! "I'm just… disappointed of you. Things changed, but my feelings for you didn't."

"_If that's true, then… you do want us to be together again?_"

Her question caught me off guard, but I manage to answer. "Yeah. But… but I must have some dignity, you know? No matter how much I care about you, you messed up and I don't think I can forgive you. I guess this shows we're just not meant for each other," I admit, not caring how much it pains me to say it.

"_Or that I'm not good enough for you,_" Sakura says bitterly, and I panic because that's a freaking suicidal thought and I don't want my dream to come true.

"What! No! No, no, that's not true. You… you are good enough for me, Sakura; actually, maybe even too good for me, even if you did what you did. You're wrong, okay? Very wrong, and I don't want you to think that _ever _again, you hear me?"

"_Yeah, whatever_," she says apathetically. "_So… now that you made sure I'm not dead or going to die anytime soon, if you don't have anything else to say, can I hang up? Because I want to continue sleeping and, honestly, even hearing your voice makes me want to cry_."

I cringe at her confession, but say, "Yeah. Sorry I, uh, interrupted your sleep. I just really had to make sure you were okay."

"_It's okay_."

"Well, um. Bye, then."

"_Bye._"

"See you tomorrow."

"_Yeah, see you."_

I press the **END CALL** button and drop my cell phone on the messy sheets of my bed. I cross my legs and rub my eyes, feeling very tired even though I just took a nap. I should feel better now that I know that my dream was just a very horrible nightmare and that Sakura's okay and alive, but I actually feel worse, because I realized how much I'm hurting her. She locked herself in her bedroom… she slept all afternoon… she thinks I hate her and wouldn't care if she died… even hearing my voice makes her want to cry…

But, well, she hurt me a lot too, right? It pained us both to break up, but we have to just get over it and move on. Maybe things happen for a reason. Maybe we're really not meant for each other. Maybe… maybe I'm just making up excuses because I don't want to accept I may have made a mistake.

No. Things do happen for a reason. I just have to be strong… right?

Before I start thinking too much and get a headache, I lie down on bed and force myself to sleep until the morning, hoping I won't have more nightmares.

* * *

"_You're bitter 'cause you lost out,_

_So why don't you sit this one out?_

_It's better to let go than taking the easy way home... _

_Bear your soul to the world,_

_The seas will make it seem bold." _

_**Dream love cure**_

* * *

Notes: Were you scared when you read the nightmare's part and thought it was really happening? :P


	9. Chapter eight

**_But uneasy souls are the lightest_**

_Chapter eight_

_

* * *

_

**Sakura**

When I wake up, for a moment I don't remember what has happened and think that everything's still the same.

I smile at the ceiling and start to plan what to do today. It's Saturday, so maybe I'll go to the movies with Sasuke in the afternoon and then I can invite Hinata to sleep over. We can watch movies or something. Yeah, I know, we'll watch _horror_ movies. I'll tell my brother to watch them with us and, at midnight, Hinata and I will sneak into his room and scare the crap out of him. He gets paranoid with scary movies, so it'll be easy to make him scream like a girl. I bet Hinata will love the idea; we'll laugh so hard we'll wet our pants...

But then I remember, and my smile fades.

I can't go to movies with Sasuke because we're not together anymore. I can't invite Hinata to my house because she'll say no, because she hates me. Well, I'm not sure if she really hates me, but I bet she does. I also bet she thinks I'm a horrible person, dishonest and not trustable. And maybe she's right.

I cover my face with a pillow. I want to cry, but I can't. I've cried so much that maybe I'm dry of tears now.

* * *

**Naruto**

"Don't you think it's too early to be here, Karudo?"

"It's _Naruto_!" I run a hand through my hair and sigh, exasperated. "For God's sake, Sasori, is my name _that _hard to remember? You've known me since I was five and you, like, nine or something. What do I have to do to make you say my name correctly? Write "My name is Naruto, moron" in a paper and paste it on my forehead?"

Sasori rolls his eyes. "Stop whining, I'll remember your name from now on. I promise."

"You said that the last time, you know? I'm not _that_ stupid, dude."

Sasori stares at me for a long moment and then says, "Okay, I know what to do. You're Naruto, right? Like those fishcakes in the ramen? Well, I just have to think of ramen when I see you and then I'll remember your name."

I smirk. "Wow, so you do have a brain, huh?"

He rolls his eyes again. "Believe it or not, the only thing Sakura and I have in common is our intelligence, though, unlike her, I prefer not to use it much. Anyways, why are you here, again?"

"I want to see Sakura," I say. "I want to cheer her up a bit… or at least to make her come out of her room. She can't live like this forever, you know?"

"Okay, but before I let you in, tell me what she's so depressed about," Sasori says, frowning and, for the first time ever, looking all overprotective-older-brother. I realize, a little surprised, that maybe he does care about his sister.

"She broke up with Sasuke," I tell him. "Or actually, he broke up with her."

He raises an eyebrow. "Wow. That's… surprising. Those two looked so in love I was sure they were going to marry, have kids and die together."

In response, I just shrug. In fact, they would've married, had kids and died together if it wasn't because of Ino and her _evil _plans. But Sasori doesn't need to know the whole story, right? "Can I come in now?" I ask.

Sasori steps aside. "Yeah, but I really don't think you'll be able to make her come out of her room. My parents have tried everything, from threats to bribes, but she just comes out to go to the bathroom or to eat."

"Let's make a bet," I propose as I step into the house. "You'll give me ten bucks if I make her come out, and I'll give you ten bucks if I fail."

Sasori closes the door behind me and smirks. "Deal," he says and we shake hands.

I turn around and head upstairs, to Sakura's bedroom. I don't need anyone to show me the way; I've came here so many times in my life that I feel like it's my second home. Well, no, it's actually my third home. My second home is Sasuke's house.

Thinking about Sasuke makes me realize that I haven't tried to reach him. He must be sad too, and I haven't even called him to ask if he's okay or if he needs something. I'm such a bad best friend. Sakura is my best friend too, but Sasuke is more important to me because I've known him since we were just toddles. Our parents are friends and our moms used to arrange us play dates. I hated him at first, but the hatred and rivalry turned into friendship. I really think he's the most important friend I have… and I've abandoned him. Maybe he needs me, too. Maybe he needs me even more than Sakura.

But I'm already here, in front of the door of Sakura's bedroom, so I decide I'll go to his house and see how he's doing right after I've talked to Sakura and eaten breakfast. I raise a hand and knock the door. "Sakura, it's me," I say.

"Go away, Naruto," she replies instantly in a very weak tone.

"C'mon, at least let me in. I want to talk to you." I wait for her answer, but nothing happens. I sigh and add: "I'm your only friend now, you know? I bet you need one."

"I have more friends," she says defensively.

"I mean _real_ friends, friends you can trust no matter what, not just friends you talk to in school or something. I know you and I know the only people you really consider as friends are me, Hinata, Sasuke and Ino. Well, no, erase Ino from the list; she used to be your friend when you were kids and when she was in France, but she isn't anymore. Now she's just an ugly bitch." I hear Sakura laugh softly and I smile as I continue. "But you only have me now. I am your only real friend not mad at you."

I hear her footsteps and then the door suddenly opens. The girl in front of me looks a lot like Sakura, but she's too pale, has rings under her eyes, which are puffy and dull, and is slightly slimmer than the Sakura I remember. She hasn't eaten and slept well, I realize, and I worry. If this isolation of hers continues, it's going to get worse.

"I know, I look like crap," she says, smiling a little. I notice her lips are pale and dry. She rubs her left eye and says, "I just woke up, you know? Why are you here so early?"

"I don't know," I say, shrugging. "I woke up at six a.m. and couldn't sleep anymore. It surprised me, too. We both know I use to wake up at noon when I don't have to go to school."

"Strange things start to happen. Maybe it's a sign of the apocalypse." Sakura sighs and turns around. "Come in and close the door," she orders, walking towards her bed, and I obey.

There's nothing different in the room, except for the unmade bed and the bunch of used tissues in the small garbage cube in the corner. Normal Sakura is so tidy she would've never let someone see her bed and her garbage cube like this, but Depressed Sakura gives a damn, I guess. The room is really cold and dark, too, as if a vampire lives here, which is kind of creepy. I notice the window is closed and the curtains are down, and I walk towards it and open it. "Let some sunlight in, woman," I say, tying the curtains together, as the room lightens.

"Ugh, no! The light bothers me!" Sakura says, making a face.

I grin at her. "Oh shit, are you turning into a vampire?" I joke, and she rolls her eyes at me.

"Naruto, if you're here just to annoy me, then leave, because I want to sleep some more."

"I'm not here just to annoy you," I say, sitting on the edge of her unmade bed. She sits beside me, watching me with narrowed eyes. "I want to take you out of this room. You need some sunlight, woman. Have you seen how pale you are? And skinny! No one likes extremely skinny girls, Sakura, only the people that hire models. Do you want to be hired as a model?"

She makes a disgusted face. "Ugh, no, I'd rather be a stripper. But I don't look like crap because I want to, Naruto. When you've been crying for a long time, you don't look too pretty, you know?"

"My point is that you can't stay like this forever. When did you and _you know who_ broke up?"

"On Wednesday," she replies. "And you can say his name, Naruto, I won't burst out crying."

"Oh, okay. Well, you and Sasuke broke up three days ago, so I think you've cried enough. Now you're ready to face the world and find another boyfriend or something."

"I don't want another boyfriend." Sakura stands up and looks through her window. Her arms are crossed and the look on her face makes her look ten years older. "I still love him. I don't think that's going to change any time soon. I don't want anyone but him."

"Well, okay, not a new boyfriend, I get it," I say. "But at least go out, have fun, _live_, Sakura. Don't waste your life just because of a person. You said you had more friends; call them and go out with them, to the movies or to the park, whatever. Just… be yourself again, please."

Sakura turns around and looks at me with curiosity. "How do you do it?" she asks. "You broke up with Hinata, so you must be as sad as me, right?" I nod. "Well, how do you manage to look so… normal? Why aren't you like me, locked in your bedroom and crying?"

I shrug. "I guess it's because I'm a guy. Men have feelings, too, but we're more… practical. I'm sad, of course, but not just because of that I'm gonna stop living. You girls are too dramatic. Bad stuff happens, yeah, but we have to get over it; either way, any little bad thing that happens is going to ruin our lives. But, honestly, I'm just forcing myself to toughen up. I feel like crap, too, and right now, if I weren't here with you, I would be locked in my room watching cheesy movies, eating ice cream and thinking about her."

Sakura gives a hint of a smile. "I've always hated dramatic girls," she says. "I used to think that girls that cry for boys are stupid. I felt like telling them, "Get over it! They're just assholes that deserve to be forgotten about." But now that I'm experiencing it, now that I'm feeling what they felt, I realize that it's not that easy. A break up hurts like hell." She sighs deeply. "But you're right, Naruto. I can't stop living my life. At least I have to try it."

I smile at her, feeling glad she finally got it, and then stand up. "I've saved your life. At least hug me for it," I tell her, and she smiles and steps closer to hug me. We break the hug and I jerk my chin towards the door. "Now let´s go downstairs and have some breakfast. I haven't eaten yet, and I need to make sure you gain a couple pounds. Besides, I don't want your brother to leave the house before he pays me."

"Pay you for that?" Sakura asks as we head to the door.

I smirk. "Let's just say I'm more awesome than what he thinks."

* * *

**Hinata**

I woke up early to do some yoga. It helps me clear my thoughts. Right now my head is a mess, and I definitely need to relax. As I do it, I forget about everything, about Sakura, about Ino, about Naruto. Hell, I think I even forget my name. That's awesome, because we all need to forget about reality every now and then. It makes coming back to reality way easier and problems seem less hard to solve. It's like renewing yourself.

When I'm done doing yoga, I take a shower. I make it a cold shower, because cold water kind of helps you to clear your thoughts, too. I freeze at first, because the day is kind of cool, but my skin gets used to it and it feels good. I feel clean and fresh. I feel great.

When I come out of the bathroom, with a towel wrapped around my body, I stretch my right leg, the one I broke a month or so ago. It healed pretty fast, and the doctor took the plaster off just a few weeks ago, but it still feels kind of weird and stiff. He told me not to do sports because the bone is not completely healed. That sucks because I miss to practice equestrianism; my horse must miss me too.

I can't help but remember how I broke my leg. I can't help but remember _him_. I remember what he told me that day, after school; I remember he tried to kiss me and I freaked out; I remember how fast my heart was beating, so fast I thought my organ was going to burst out of my chest; I remember my heart stopping when I realized the car was going to hit me; I remember the pain I felt; I remember how stupid I felt for not paying attention.

I remember how much Naruto feared I'd hate him. I remember how happy he made me feel and how cute he looked. I remember that I thought that he was the guy I was going to love for all my life when he first kissed me.

The fresh, relaxed feeling I had after doing yoga and taking a shower fades. Now all I feel is nostalgia and sadness. I quickly put my pajamas back on and get into bed, curling up into a ball under my warm covers. I hug myself, not wanting to cry, but it's too late. I cry for the fourth time since I broke up with him (yes, I've counted them).

This sucks. I should hate him, but I can't bring myself to do it. I guess I love him so much I can't feel any negative emotions towards him. I know he's a jerk who hurt me a lot; I know that even though he regretted it, he did something very wrong that wouldn't have been so bad if he had told me about it before and not let me find out from someone else more than a month later. I can't stop feeling betrayed and fooled.

There's a knock on my door and I pop my head out of the covers to yell, "I'm not in the mood!"

"Me neither!" Hanabi, my younger sister, yells back. "But dad doesn't care. He wants you to come down for breakfast. He also wants to know what's wrong with you, because you've been acting strange lately. Did some friend of yours died or something?"

I think I am mourning for the loss of someone, but that someone isn't dead… literally; he's just dead for me… or at least I'm trying to believe that to forget about it and move on. "No, I'm fine," I lie, forcing myself to push the covers off me and stand up from bed. "I'm coming."

"Can I come in?" Hanabi asks.

"Why?"

"Please."

I sigh. "Okay, come in."

Hanabi opens the door and steps into my room. She's dressed to go out, which embarrasses me a little, because I'm still wearing pajamas. Also, her short, dark-brown hair is well combed and perfect, while mine is messy and still wet from the shower. I think it's actually always been like this: Hanabi is the perfect-looking girl, the one everyone likes, the one who makes friends everywhere, while I'm shy, quiet and imperfect. The only thing I'm better at than her is school; she gets good grades, but not better than mines.

It's weird how there has never been rivalry between us. We've always been very close and good sisters to each other. I really care about her and would do anything for her safety and happiness, and everyone tells me that she admires me a lot and tries her best to be as cool as I supposedly am. I don't think I'm cool, and, if I were her, I wouldn't admire myself, but I guess she has a different point of view.

Hanabi closes the door behind her as I rummage through my closet to find something to wear. "I know you lied, Hinata," she says softly, and, surprised, I turn to her. "I know you aren't fine. I know something's wrong. I understand that you don't want our parents to know it, but we're sisters, so you can trust me."

I stare at her for a long moment, thinking how trustable and grown up she looks and sounds. When did my little sister grow up so fast? Finally, I sigh and say, "Well, yeah, you're right; I lied, and I apologize. But I'm really not sure you should know about my problems because you're too young to understand, and what I actually need is an advice, something I don't think you can give me."

Hanabi grins and sits on the edge of my bed. "Aw, c´mon, sis! I'm twelve years old. I'm not a baby anymore. Besides, what could be so hard to understand? I already solve quadratic equations easily."

I smile slightly. "Okay, okay. You win. But don't say I didn't warn you." I walk towards the bed and sit beside her. Hanabi watches me attentively. "I said you were too young to understand because it's a love problem, a problem about a guy."

Her eyes widen and she smiles. "Wow, my sis has a love life!"

"I'm sixteen, Hanabi, of course I do. But anyways, what happened is that I broke up with this guy because he didn't tell me about something he did with other girl before we started dating, which made me angry because I think he should've trusted me. He said he was sorry and that it meant nothing for him, but then why did he keep the secret for so long?" I sigh deeply. "You see? It's difficult. I'd advise you to never fall in love, because, sooner or later, someone is going to break your heart, and a broken heart sucks, but I know you're going to fall in love someday, and no one will be able to keep it from happening."

"You mean no one _was_ able to keep it from happening," Hanabi says, sighing sadly.

My eyes widen. "What? You mean you already fell in love?"

My sister rolls her eyes and smiles at me. "Sis, we're in the twenty first century. If you are twelve and haven't had a boyfriend yet, you're a loser. I'm totally not a loser, by the way, because I've already had three boyfriends."

My eyes widen even more. "What! Three boyfriends already!"

Hanabi nods proudly and I feel like the lamest older sister ever. Naruto was my first boyfriend ever, and I'm sixteen; my little sister is four years younger than me and has already had more boyfriends than me. What the hell!

"Don't feel bad, Hinata," Hanabi says. "I've had more boyfriends than most of my friends, too. I mean, you're okay; I'm the not normal one in here. Besides, when you were twelve, things were different than how they are now."

"But you know more about love than me, then," I say, pouting. "That's not fair! I'm the older sister. I'm the one supposed to know more and give you advices, not the other way around."

"You do know more than me! Maybe not about love, but you're a genius when it comes to math and science and school stuff. You're an awesome cooker, too. Honestly, you're way cooler than me; the only thing I have more than you is experience with boys. But anyways, would you like to know my opinion about your situation?"

I sigh, trying to put my dissatisfaction aside, and then nod. "Okay," Hanabi says. "I think that you should give the guy a second chance because he apologized and really regretted what happened. Also, when you looked into his eyes, did you see honesty in them? Did you notice how much it pained him that you didn't want him anymore? Do you think that he, like, cares a lot about you, or maybe even loves you?"

I think about it for a moment. "I guess he really looked like he was sorry," I finally say. "I'm not sure if he loves me, but I know he cares about me enough to cry when we broke up."

Hanabi's eyes widen. "He cried! Oh, God, Hinata, he so does love you!"

"How do you know that?"

"Trust me, I'm the one who knows more about boys in here," she replies, smirking. "Anyways, I think you should really make up with him. You kind of love him too, right?" I nod at her question, and then she exclaims, "Then what are you waiting for! Everyone deserves a second chance, Hinata, no matter how badly they messed up."

My sister's last sentence echoes in my head. Is she right? Does Naruto deserve a second chance? Maybe… maybe he does. Maybe we all do. As they say, we learn from our mistakes. Maybe he already learned from his. Giving him a second chance to prove that wouldn't hurt, would it? Maybe I should give him one more chance, but if he messes up big time again, there won't be a third chance.

Maybe I should really make up with him.

"Okay," I tell my sister. "I guess I want to give him a second chance, and I may do it… but, there's one problem. What if he doesn't want to make up with me?"

Hanabi rolls her eyes. "He loves you. He cried for you. Why wouldn't he want to make up with you?"

"Alright," I say slowly. "Maybe I'll try it…" And just as I say it, I know it's the right thing to do. I want to be with him again; I want to forgive him. He hurt me, but he deserves a second chance; we all do. If he screws it up again, there won't be another chance, but maybe he'll do things right this time.

God, I should've thought about this before! Why didn't I? Oh yeah, my arrogance didn't let me; I was thinking so much about my dignity that I didn't even consider to forgive him. I was too selfish. But now my sister has helped me.

I lean forward and put my arms around her. "Thanks, Hanabi, you've helped a lot," I tell her. "You made me see something I was too blind with arrogance to see before."

"Hey, it's okay. I'm your sister; my job is to help you," Hanabi replies, smiling at me. "But anyways, can we go downstairs now? I'm starving!"

I nod, smiling, and start getting dressed. I feel awesome, even better than how I felt after doing yoga and taking a shower. I guess a good advice is the best medicine for depression.

* * *

_"No tears left, I've cried them all for you..._

_Now pull the knife from my ever bleeding heart;_

_Tell me now your words never meant me harm."_

**_The casino brawl_**

* * *

Notes: Be nice and review! :)


	10. Chapter nine

_**But uneasy souls are the lightest**_

_Chapter nine_

**

* * *

**

Naruto

"He called me the day we broke up, you know?"

I'm about to put a spoon full of milk and cereal into my mouth, but her words stop me – freeze me. We stopped talking to start eating our breakfast, but now, ten seconds later, she bursts this out. At first I give her a what-the-hell look because I don't get what she's talking about, but when I realize she's talking about Sasuke, I raise my eyebrows at her.

"He called you?" I repeat. "When? Why?"

"Wednesday night. He told me something very weird."

"What?"

Sakura stares at her plate of eggs and bacon for a moment, thinking, remembering. I can't believe how sad she looks. Only a minute ago, she was laughing and smiling and looking like her normal self again. "Remember I had a dream in which he killed himself because of Hinata?" she finally asks.

"Yeah, it was that day you beat me up because I woke you up. You told me about it while you healed my wounds." I remember that same day, only minutes after she told me about her nightmare, I kind of saw her naked – well, just the blur form of her naked body through the transparent shower's curtain. That moment used to be one of the best of my life, but now it's one of the most awkward; the memory kind of makes me feel incestuous, because now Sakura is like the sister I never had, not my secret crush anymore.

"Well, it's weird, because he had a very similar dream about me," Sakura says. "He dreamed I killed myself, and he called me to make sure it had really been a dream and I was still alive."

Uh, I didn't expect that one. "He called you to make sure you were really not dead?" I repeat, confused, and she nods. "Wow. That's… weird."

"He was pretty freaked out," she comments. "Or at least that's what Sasori told me. He picked up the phone and he later told me Sasuke sounded really desperate, as if it was really urgent for him to talk to me. That night, I thought Sasori was just messing with me when he told me Sasuke was on the phone, but when I took the phone and heard his voice… you can't imagine how shocked I was, Naruto. I thought he hated me, and when he told me he would still care if I died even after what happened, I was even more shocked."

"What else did he say?" I ask softly, watching worriedly as her eyes start to water.

Sakura sighs deeply and blinks her tears away. She looks at me with dull green eyes, looking like she's trying her best to control herself. "He said he wanted us to be together again," she says. "But he said he wouldn't, because he had to have some dignity. He also said that maybe we're not meant for each other. I think his reasoning is stupid and senseless, but there's nothing I can do to change his mind." She makes a pause, and then continues, "Why can't they just forgive us, Naruto? We're humans; we make mistakes. If I were in their place, I would forgive. We all deserve to be forgiven for our mistakes, at least for the first time we commit them."

"You learn from your mistakes," I agree, thinking about Hinata. How I wish she could think the same way.

Sakura sighs, again. "Anyways, we shouldn't continue talking about this, because we are both going to end up locked in our bedrooms, super depressed, watching cheesy movies and eating ice cream." I smile at her and nod in agreement.

We continue eating in silence, both deep in thought. When I finish my bowl of cereal, I make Sakura eat a bowl of cereal too, even when she already ate eggs and bacon. "You need more vitamins if you want to look fat and pretty again," I tell her as I pour the milk into a bowl.

"Are you saying I was fat?" she asks, glaring at me.

I roll my eyes. "No, you weren't fat, Sakura. You were slim. I was just exaggerating a bit."

"You better." She glances at the bowl of cereal. "You're weird. Why do you pour the milk before filling the bowl with cereal? I put the cereal first, and then the milk. Actually, that's what normal people do."

I smile. "I am not a normal person. By now, you should already know that, Sakura."

She smiles back as I put the cereal into the bowl and hand it to her. As she starts eating it, I say, "Hey, uh, I've to go now. I have some business to attend."

"Really?" she says with her mouth full, raising an eyebrow at me. I nod and she shrugs, focusing back on her cereal. "Okay. See you later."

"What are you going to do when you're done eating?" I ask.

"Take a shower, call a friend, get ready to go out, continue living my life," Sakura says, smiling at me. "Don't worry about me, Naruto. I'll be okay. But come back when you can, alright? Come in the afternoon and let's watch horror movies with my brother and then sneak into his room at midnight and scare the life out of him."

I laugh. "Deal," I say, high-fiving her, and then I leave.

I find Sasori in the living room, and ask him for my ten bucks. He reluctantly gives them to me, and then I happily leave. After that, I take the bus, using the money Sasori gave me to pay it (thank God I made that bet), to my other best friend's house.

* * *

**Sasuke**

Slowly, I open my eyes. I thought I was just dreaming, but that sound isn't product of my imagination: it's real, because, why would I dream about my cell phone ringing? I roll over and reach out for said phone, which is on my night table, as usual.

But, wait, hadn't I thrown to the floor?

Oh, no, that was what happened in my dream – which was just that: a dream (thankfully).

However, when I look at the screen and see Naruto's name on it, my doubts come back. A phone call from Naruto, right before I wake up from a nap, sounds like a déjà vu... unless my dream had really been a premonition.

No, I'm just being immature. Sakura is _not_ going to commit suicide. I have to get that right. She is okay, she's not an emo, she's not suicidal, she's not depressed – well, okay, maybe a little, but she's not the kind of person that thinks death is a good solution; actually, she's perhaps the most optimistic person I know. She is not dead, she is alive and okay…

But what if I'm wrong?

Feeling my pulse speed up, I push the **ANSWER** button and put the phone against my ear. In my mind, I'm begging God, destiny, karma – _any_ shit that listens to prayers, to please, please don't let my dream come true.

"Naruto?" I ask, hoping with all my might that when he replies he doesn't sound like he's crying.

"_Hey, bastard, come outta your room and let me in. It's raining out here and I'm getting wet and you don't hear me knocking on your door, you deaf moron_."

I sigh with relief, slumping back on the bed. Thank you, thank you, _thank you_ whatever-that-listened-to-my-prayers. Thank you! "I'm coming," I tell him and then hung up. I lay in bed for a few more moments, calming down now that I know that she is alright, not dead and probably already over me.

Sakura already over me… Why does that thought make my heart ache?

But Naruto's furious knocks on my door keep me from finding the answer of that question. I jump up from bed, glad I feel rested, and go downstairs to let my annoying best friend in.

When I open the door, Naruto walks into the house as if he lives here, which doesn't surprise or annoy me; my house is his second house, he's welcomed here, and I'm fine with it.

Except when he comes in soaking wet and stains the carpet with mud.

"You are so going to clean that yourself," I say, glaring at his mud-covered shoes.

"And you are so going to lend me dry clothes, and right now, because you don't want me to catch a cold, do you?"

"Do I tell you a truth or a lie?"

Naruto rolls his eyes. "Go to hell, Sasuke. And if you want me to clean this up, then give me clothes to change."

I sigh and reluctantly go back to my room and grab the first clean and dry pajama bottoms I find and a white t-shirt. Also, because I'm a really good person, I take a pair of warm socks and my other slippers. When I go back downstairs, I find Naruto removing the mud from the carpet with his wet hoodie.

"I'm going to wash it, anyways," he tells me when he glances up and sees me standing a foot away, giving him a what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-you look.

"Leave that alone, moron," I say. "I'll clean it. You're too stupid to do it yourself."

"Hey!" he says, but he smiles because now he won't have to clean.

"Here." I give him the clothes and the slippers I brought him, and he hangs his wet, mud-stained hoodie on his shoulder to take them. "Take a shower and wash your clothes. Then, you'll explain to me why the hell you're here, okay?"

"Alright," Naruto says through gritted teeth, frowning. "But don't use that tone with me."

I roll my eyes at him and then turn around to go the kitchen and find something to clean the mess he's made.

* * *

**Naruto**

Ten minutes after I arrived to Sasuke's house, I go downstairs, clean and warm and dry, wearing Sasuke's clothes and carrying own wet ones. I still can't believe the lack of luck I have. It started raining right after I got off the bus and got wet and frozen to the bones in my way to Sasuke's house. I definitely need to buy a luck amulet or something.

I go to the laundry room and put my clothes in the washing machine and my shoes on the floor, hoping they'll dry up by their own in a few hours so I won't have to borrow Sasuke's mom's hairdryer to dry them up. Then I go to the kitchen and find Sasuke there, drinking from a cup and watching TV.

"Dude, you're so rich," I tell him as I sit on a chair beside him. "Wish I had a TV in my kitchen, too."

"Wish you had a brain," he mutters, and before I can insult back, he says, "Hey, want some hot chocolate?"

I smile. "Aw, you prepared hot chocolate for me?"

"No, for me; I'm just offering you. If you do want, take a cup and serve yourself"

"Bastard," I mutter, but I stand up and do as he said. Some hot chocolate would serve me right.

When I sit back on the chair, sipping from my cup (wow, it's delicious!), Sasuke instantly asks, "So, why are you here?"

I frown at him. "What? I can't make a visit to my best friend?"

"You were bored or something?" he asks, glancing back at the TV. We're watching the news, and I don't _why_ we're watching the news, they're boring, but we're watching them.

"No, I just wanted to come and see how you were doing," I reply.

"I'm doing fine."

I look up from my steaming cup and shot him a look. "That didn't sound truthful at all," I say.

"No, really I'm fine." Sasuke's face is expressionless and his eyes are glued to the TV. He tries to sound normal and casual, but he's clearly tense, and clearly lying. "Why? I don't look fine?"

"You don't _sound_ fine." I take a sip of my hot chocolate. "Still thinking about Sakura, huh?"

He turns to me and his eyes widen slightly as if I've just conjured the devil. "What? Why? No!"

I snort. "Oh, dear friend, you're such a bad liar."

"No, really, I'm serious. Why the hell do you mention her?"

I shrug and take another sip. "I don't know. I thought you may still be kind of depressed, like her."

His face changes completely. "She… She's still depressed?"

"Was," I correct. "Or at least that's what she's trying. I convinced her into act like herself again, to go out and have fun or something, and stop mourning. I was just tired of her hiding in her bedroom, man. Someone needed to do something."

We don't say anything for a moment. The guy in the TV is talking about a serial killer that has killed more than ten persons already. Sasuke speaks again right when the commercials come. "You think she's already over me?" he asks quietly.

"Well, she's definitely not _under _you."

He rolls his eyes. "Dude, I am serious. Do you think she already, like, moved on?

I think about it for a moment, and then finally say, "No, I think she hasn't. It's only been a few days since the breakup, Sasuke. She's been in love with you ever since we were kids. Do you really think she'd fall out of love so easily, in only a few days? Do you think she's even trying to do it? If you do, then you're utterly wrong. That girl is really in love with you. When someone is in love, you'll never, ever, be able to forget him or her…" My words drift off as my brain gets filled with images of Hinata. Her smile, her laughter, her eyes, her voice… Damn, I miss everything about her.

It sucks to be in love.

"Even if you have to?" Sasuke asks, bringing me back to reality. He's staring at his cup of hot chocolate, looking spaced out, or maybe deep in thought, or maybe very sad… who knows.

I smirk bitterly. "Even if you _want _to, man."

Sasuke thinks about that deeply, and then nods and says, "Sucks to be in love."

My smirk widens. "You just read my mind."

* * *

**Hinata**

I am so anxious and excited to come to school today. I've never been so happy and nervous to come to school. I think that the last time I've felt like this in my life was when I was like nine years old and I was going to dance ballet in front of a lot of people. I swear to God that I almost puke then. It wasn't a pleasant experience; that's why I stopped going to my ballet school (they made that kind of shows every year!)

I feel like puking right now, too. But I have to control myself. I can't just walk up to him and puke in front of him, right? I have to… to breathe. Yeah. Breathe and relax and think everything's going to be fine. And, yeah, everything _is_ going to be fine, _more_ than fine. I mean, I'm making up with my ex-boyfriend, whom I still love even after all that's happened. Of course it's all fine, and of course I'm happy.

And nervous. Nervous _as hell_.

"You okay?" my sister, Hanabi, asks from beside me. I turn to her and try to smile.

"Yeah, I'm just a little nervous because… you know."

Hanabi nods, understanding what I'm talking about. She was the one who made me realize that Naruto deserved a second chance, like we all do, after all, so she also knows todays is the day I'm going to talk to him about it. "Just relax, it's going to turn out okay," she assures, winking at me.

I take a deep breath and nod, hoping she's right, just as the car starts to slow down. I look through the window and see we're right in front of my school. My stomach sinks and I feel my pulse speed up. I look back at my sister, and she gives me a reassuring smile. Plucking up courage, I open the door and get out of the car, waving goodbye at my Dad, who is driving, and my sister, who waves back, as I head to the school's front gate.

As I make my way to the homeroom, I start to repeat the speech I prepared for today, the speech I'm going to say to Naruto, trying to remember it perfectly and to make myself believe that, as Hanabi said, it's all going to turn out okay. And, yeah, why wouldn't it turn out okay? Of course Naruto is going to understand and of course he'll want to make up with me and of course we'll be back together.

The thought of being back together with Naruto, to kiss him and hold his hand and call him mine again, makes my stomach sink with excitement.

I stop at the homeroom's doorway and take two deep breaths. _It's going to be alright_, I tell myself. _Nothing can come out wrong. Just do it already; it's not that hard_. And then, I brace myself and step into the homeroom.

It's not hard to spot Naruto. Firstly, because he's sitting above a desk, so he's easy to find; secondly, because his blond hair is pretty bright; and thirdly, because he's with a person that, with her hair, is not hard to spot, either.

Wait. He is with Sakura?

Yeah, he is with Sakura. They're in front of each other, he on a desk and she in front of him, leaning against another desk. I can't see his face but I can see hers, and I see she's all smiley and happy talking to him. Also, they're closer from each other than I would like them to be.

Oh, no. I hate this feeling. Jealousy is so not pleasant to feel. It's like hatred… only that it's mixed with sadness. So. Not. Cool.

And then, something even less pleasant happens: I remember the way I pictured them together right after I found out they almost did _it_. The image is totally not enjoyable, and I feel like a pervert, but, really, I just couldn't help to imaging it, and I can't help to remember it right now, either.

The more I look at them and remember that image, the more I get jealous and the more I hate both of them. I realize that it doesn't matter how much I miss and still love Naruto, I will never be able to look at him without remembering Sakura, and I will not be able to remember Sakura without remembering what she almost did with my ex-boyfriend.

I just can't be with someone that makes me feel so betrayed and stupid and hurt. I can't make up with him.

So I turn around and run to the girls' bathroom, too about-to-cry to apologize to the person I almost run into.

* * *

"_This shows me what I have become: a diary that speaks of torture. _

_We're your passengers, all heartbroken, in black and white._

_Such a graceful suicide."_

_**Going down with this ship**_

* * *

Notes: OMGOMGOMG, I feel SOOOO especial :D UHWTM has sixteen chapters and thirty-something reviews, but BUSATL has seven chapters less than it and has even more reviews! :DDD Does this mean I'm becoming a better writter? :3 Well, I hope so! But anyways, this is all thanks to you. I'll keep writting if you keep reviewing and making my days brighter! ;)


	11. Chapter ten

_**But uneasy souls are the lightest**_

_Chapter ten_

* * *

**Sasuke**

I hate school. I used to love it, but ever since I broke up with Sakura, I started hating it. Sakura was the only reason I liked to go to school. Now I just go because I'm forced. Actually, I think I've always hated this school; I mean, my teachers are either stupid or lazy, I learn a thing per week and the men´s bathrooms are disgusting. Who would like to come to this damn public school?

I miss my old school, the one I used to go to before I decided to change schools to be with Naruto, my only friend back then, so I wouldn't feel so lonely. That school was so cool; it was private, and the teachers were awesome, and the installations were so clean and perfect… Wish I could study there again…

Wait... I can.

Holy crap, why didn't I think about this before? I should definitely change schools! I mean, I have no reason to be in this one anymore; and, yeah, Naruto is here, but, being in the same school or not, he practically lives in my house, and I use to visit him a lot, too. We can still be friends, right? And Sakura… well, she's obviously not my reason to be here anymore; actually, if I stop seeing her every damn day, maybe I'll get over her more quickly.

Seriously, why didn't I think about this before!

As I walk to my homeroom, I smirk, feeling pretty triumphant. My problems are going to get solved now; I won't feel like crap every day when I see Sakura avoiding me, not anymore, because I won't see her every damn day if I change schools.

I see my homeroom few feet away and I suddenly have a new perspective of this place: I'm going to leave soon, so there's no point in hating it anymore.

And just as I think that, the door suddenly bursts open and Hinata comes running towards me. I catch a glimpse of her face for a moment, but then she closes her eyes tightly and bows her head. She almost runs into me, but I step aside and she runs past me, not even noticing me, probably.

I stop walking and watch her run away. Was it my imagination or she was crying? If so, then why was she crying? Did… did someone do something to her? Did someone tell her something mean? Or did Naruto try to talk to her and asked her to forgive him and be his girlfriend again, and that made her cry? Yeah, that's probably what happened.

I sigh and shake my head. Hinata and Naruto's situation is the same as mine and Sakura's, so I know how much it sucks. But, really, can't they just leave it alone and ignore each other, just as Sakura and I do? Because that's easier; it hurts like hell, but the pain will eventually go away.

I turn to the door and see Naruto running towards me. This time I don't have time to step aside, and he runs into me. I start to ask him what's going on, but he just ignores me, pushes me aside and continues running. I watch him go and realize that he's actually running after Hinata. See? I knew something happened between them.

I turn to the door, again, and walk towards it. Naruto closed it behind him. I open it, and before I can even step into the homeroom, another person runs into me. I wonder if it's the "Run into Sasuke Day" or something and I didn't know it.

"Oh, sorry!" the person who ran into me yelps, and I look down and see… pink.

Oh, shit.

"Sakura?" I ask like a complete moron.

She looks up at me and, for the first time in days that felt like years, our eyes meet. This is the first time we interact since the day we broke up. Oh, no, wait; the last time we interacted was actually when I punched Naruto and she tried to stop me. I remember the last words I said to her were: _I love you the way you are, and if you change, I wouldn't love you the same anymore. That's the sad part of this. _It's funny how it feels like that happened centuries ago.

Sakura is looking at me as if it's the first time she sees me. "Uh… hi," she says.

I look into her green, beautiful eyes. My eyes instinctively go down and glance at her lips. Dammit, how I wish I could kiss her! But I can't. And I can't stare at her lips like this, either, so I quickly look up at her eyes. The tension between us is almost palpable, and I desperately think of a way to easy it.

Finally, I clear my throat and ask, "Uh, why did Naruto and Hinata come out of here running as if a lion was chasing them?"

Sakura looks away and smiles, but she's obviously forcing it. I know her real smiles too well. "Well, I'm not sure. I was talking to Naruto and I suddenly saw Hinata standing at the doorway, looking at us, and then, out of nowhere, she turned around and ran away. I watched her confusedly and Naruto followed my gaze just in time to see it was Hinata, and then he suddenly jumped up from the desk and ran after her, without a word. I'm still confused, but my guess is that Hinata misunderstood it all; she got jealous or something, because she saw us talking, and then she ran away.

"I… I guess I should follow her, too, and tell her there's really nothing going on between me and Naruto," Sakura continues. "But Naruto already went after her, and I'm guessing they'll need some privacy, so…"

Her words drift off, but I don't really notice it, because I'm too focused on wondering why she doesn't look at me; it's as if she's avoiding eye-contact with me. Do I make her nervous or something?

She finally looks up at me, and I can't believe how uncomfortable she looks. Is it really _that _unpleasant to talk to me? Did things between us become _that _awkward?

I miss when she used to smile at me so frequently, as if I was a reason of her happiness. I have every detail of her smile memorized; she smiled at me that much. I also miss how relaxed she seemed to be around me, how calm my company made her. I miss to have such close relationship with her.

I really wish it could all just go back to normal. But I know that's never going to happen, so instead I wish I can change schools as soon as possible to finally stop feeling this way towards her.

"Uh, the teacher is coming."

I blink, coming back to the reality. "I'm sorry, what?"

"The teacher is coming," Sakura repeats, glancing over my shoulder. "We should take our seats."

I turn around and see that, indeed, the teacher is coming. "What about Naruto and Hinata?" I ask Sakura. "Aren't they coming back?"

"They aren't, unless they want to get detention for arriving late to class," she replies.

"Alright, kids, please take a seat," the teacher says from behind us, and we move so he can come into the homeroom.

Sighing, I head to the closest empty seat. Sakura takes a seat too, a seat as far from me as any can be. The class starts; the teacher tells us about some shit about geometry, but, geometry being the least of my problems right now, I pay zero attention to him.

* * *

**Naruto**

Before she can step into the girls' bathroom, I grab her arm and stop her.

"Let me go!"

I don't reply. I just hold her arm tightly and stare at her.

"Let me go or I'll scream!"

That could've made me do as she said, but the halls are empty, classes have already started (something I don't care about, by the way; talking to her right now is way more important), and in this part of the school there are no classrooms close, so no one will hear her screaming, unless some random kid decides to go the bathroom and hears her.

"Naruto!"

Again, I do nothing but hold her arm and stare at her.

She stops sobbing and finally looks at me. Her eyes are puffy from crying, but to me they're still the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen. She stares back at me, suddenly expressionless, but there's something in her look that scares me a little. "Get away from me," she says lowly. "Go back with your fucking new girlfriend."

I think there's nothing else she could've said that would've made me more confused. "What?" I ask. "Which fucking new girlfriend, Hinata?"

"Sakura!" she yells. "Go back with her. You seemed to be pretty happy talking to her, weren't you?"

I shake my head, unable to believe this. "Hinata, you're so wrong," I tell her. "You misunderstood."

"Alright, maybe she is not your girlfriend," she says. "But don't deny you guys are pretty close, maybe as something more than friends." Her eyes start to water and she lets out a shaky breath. "Just leave me alone, Naruto. Please. I… cannot… be with you now."

I stare at her for a long moment and then I frown deeply, shaking my head. "Agh," I groan. "I don't get it. Why are you like this? Why do you… why do you…?" I pause, searching for the right words, and then finally say, "Why do you keep doing this to me, to us? Why can't you just forgive me? I mean, I didn't even cheat on you; what happened between me and Sakura was way before you and I started dating. And, alright, it sucks that I didn't tell you about it, but that doesn't mean it meant something for me. Yeah, I used to have a crush on her, but I was just confused, and I later realized you were the one I really wanted, really needed. What if I just didn't want to talk about it ever again, what if I just wanted to forget it ever happened, huh? Have you ever thought about that?"

She is crying again. "Naruto… Believe me: I really want to forgive you," she says. "But… but I just can't. I want to, it's all I want, but every time I see you, I picture you in her arms, and… and… and I just can't be with you this way! It's… it's so freaking annoying! I wish I could just forget I ever found out about it! I wish I wouldn't feel so goddamned_ jealous_ of her…"

I impulsively pull her towards me and hug her tightly. I bury my face in the crook of her neck and realize how much I missed her smell. She smells like everything and anything I've ever wished or needed to have.

Suddenly, I realize, slightly surprised, that she's not pushing me away. She's crying against my shoulder, grasping the fabric of my shirt tightly. I'm glad of it, because there's no other place besides here, in her arms, where I feel safer or calmer. I wish I could stay here forever.

"Please, forgive me," I whisper against her ear. "I wish you would've never found out, too."

In response, Hinata just starts to sob harder and hugs my waist tightly.

* * *

**Ino**

Today is the day. I waited a few days to let Sasuke get over the "loss", but I think it's enough. He and Sakura broke up on Wednesday, and today is Monday; four days must be enough, right? I was planning on waiting for an entire week, but, really, I'm everything but patient and I really can't wait to do this.

I'm in the girls' bathroom. It's lunch time. I look at my reflection in the mirror and smile. I'm just perfect for this. I try to think positively: _He is not going no reject me. I'm too pretty to be rejected. He is going to fall in love with me. He'll love me more than he ever loved that bitch with a huge forehead._

I fix my pony tail and check my makeup is in order for the last time, and then I come out of the bathroom. As I'm walking through the halls, I spot Sakura talking to two girls. She seems to feel my eyes on her, because she turns to me and our eyes meet. I realize, slightly surprised, that it's the first time we look at each other since the day I gave her a ride home. We've been ignoring each other ever since that day, which is obvious; why would I want to talk to her if we're not friends anymore? We're enemies now, enemies that hate each other so much they pretend they don't even know each other, because it hurts more to be ignored than to be insulted.

I look away and continue walking as if nothing has happened. I can feel her watching me go, and I can't help but wonder what she's thinking. That she hates me? That she hopes I'll slip, fall, break my skull and die? That she hopes a cow will fall from the sky and crush me to death? Who the hell knows?

I also can't help but wonder if she really hates me. Maybe she does, or maybe she is just resentful towards me, but doesn't actually hate me. I have no idea. In my case, I don't hate her… not that much. I mean, I don't hope she dies or something; I just don't like her… Well, scratch that, I do like her; she's friendly and funny and a good friend. I just hate her because I feel jealous of her; of her exotic looks, of her intelligence, of her whole and happy family, of her nice mother, of everything she has and I don't.

I may have better looks and be more popular than her, but beauty and popularity aren't forever. What am I going to do when schools ends? I'm not good at studying, so I'll probably live on what I get from my modeling. But what will I do when I get old and not-as-pretty-as-before? Who is going to be there, beside me, to support me, if almost everyone around me pretends to like or love me just because of my looks? Without my looks, I'll be nothing. If Sakura gets old and ugly, she'll still have her intelligence and her family to support her. I'll be alone…

I shake my head, trying to scare those thoughts away. I cannot be mourning about that right now, when I'm about to seduce someone. I have to be optimistic and to believe in myself. I can continue hating myself later.

* * *

**Hinata**

I'm awakened by a rustling sound. I look around and see nothing but darkness. I start to freak out. Where am I? How did I get here? But then I remember it all, and calm down. I'm in the janitor's room, and Naruto is with me. He brought me here so that no one would see me crying and he stayed with me and held me as I cried. And then I fell asleep.

Oh, God, I fell asleep! We skipped a bunch of classes! If we get caught, they're going to kill us! Shit shit shit shit shit-!

"Hinata, are you awake?"

I can't see him in the dark, but I look at the place where I think I heard his voice coming from. "Yeah," I say. "Where are you? I can't see you. And what was that rustling sound? Did you make it?"

"Uh, yeah, I did." There's more of that rustling sound, and then I hear his voice coming closer. "I was just putting away this bunch of papers I found. They were disturbing me."

I feel him sitting beside me. Our arms are touching. "I'm sorry for making you skip classes," I say. "I can't believe I fell asleep. It's just that crying made me sleepy."

"It's okay, I understand," Naruto says. "Are you feeling better now?"

I nod, even if he can't see me. And then, I lean my head against his shoulder and hold his warm, big hand in mine tightly. "Thank you," I say softly, "for being here with me."

"It's alright," he murmurs against my hair.

"Only that… why did you bring me here, to this janitor's room?"

"Well, I don't know," Naruto says and I can hear he's grinning. "It was the first place that came to my mind. I remembered it because this is the place where Sasuke brought Sakura to talk about their feelings and hook up, you know?"

I chuckle. "I didn't know that."

"Well, now you know."

We say nothing for a few moments. I enjoy our proximity; it's been so long since I last held his hand and rested my head on his shoulder… I missed it.

"Hinata… can you tell me something?" Naruto suddenly asks, and I nod. "Does this mean you, like, forgive me?"

I think about it for a moment, and then say, "No; this means that I promise I'll stop being so jealous and that I believe you when you say that there's nothing between you and Sakura... because _you_ are the one who has to forgive _me_."

"So… we're back together?" he asks hopefully.

In response, I raise my face and kiss him on the lips. His lips feel the same, except for the small scar on the lower one caused by Sasuke's punch. Still, it feels so indescribable good to kiss them again.

Naruto puts an arm around my waist and pulls me closer, and when we break the kiss he buries his face in the crook of my neck and says, "I promise that I'll never keep secrets from you, ever again."

I hug him back tightly, feeling my eyes water and wishing we could stay like this forever, and then say, "I'll believe you only if you forgive me for being so damn stupid."

"I'll always forgive you, Hinata. Always."

* * *

**Ino**

"Hey, HEY! What the hell?"

Sasuke puts his hands on my shoulders and pushes me away from him. He looks at me as if I've just grown a horn on my forehead, like a freaking unicorn. I shake his hands off me and stare at him in disbelief.

He did not just reject me. This has got to be a dream. No guy has ever rejected me, not even one. If a guy rejects a girl like me, then he must be gay. Well, actually, back in France, I met a hot gay guy and I turned him bisexual – and I kid you not. I am _that_ irresistible.

But anyways, I don't think Sasuke is gay. He liked Sakura, and even Hinata. Besides, you can see when a man is gay: he moves and talks in a kind of girly way; Sasuke moves and talks like a normal, straight guy, so either he is really good pretending, or he is really not gay.

But then why did he reject me? How could he? How _fucking _could he!

Okay, I have to think clearly. If a man is not gay, neither asexual (because asexuality is not possible in humans, right?), then why would he reject an extremely hot girl like me? He obviously doesn't think I'm not pretty, because, let's face it, I am far from being ugly, and that's just a fact. He likes me, then.

But… but then why would he not flirt back or let me kiss him? It's as if he's freaking married… or really in love with someone else – so in love he wouldn't want any other girl, no matter how hot and beautiful she'd be, besides the girl he loves.

There's no point in pretending that's not it. It's the most logical reason, even if I like it or not. He loves someone else. And it's also very logical that that someone is Sakura.

Goddammit, I hate her so much.

"What is wrong with you, Ino?" he asks, still looking at me as if I'm a freak. And suddenly, his expression changes; he looks at me as if he just understood something. "Oh, I see, now," he says. "I… I can't believe this. Hinata told me this would happen; she told me you'd try to win me now that you made me break up with Sakura. I didn't think you were than much of a… of a _bitch._" He snorts. "But it seems like I was wrong, so very wrong."

"Sasuke, of course I didn't make you break up with Sakura just to win you," I lie. "I really did want to help her. It's just… I didn't plan on falling in love with you; it just happened," I lie again, because I didn't want to help her – I wanted to get my revenge, and I'm not in love with him – I just think he's hot.

Sasuke shakes his head and smiles humorlessly. "You are such a fucking liar," he mutters. "I can't believe I ever listened to you. You really have the fault of all the crap that has been happening to me lately. I wish you would've never come back."

And then, he leaves. I watch him go with a frown on my face. Maybe he isn't gay, maybe he's just too in love with Sakura, but he really is an idiot for rejecting me. No one rejects Ino Yamanaka; NO ONE.

Furious, I turn around and start to walk away. My head starts to get filled with thoughts like: "_He is a jerk_," "_I am too much for him, anyways_," and "_There are many more men that would die to have me_." I don't know where I'm going, but then I have an idea and decide Sakura needs to have a little chat with me.

It's not hard to find her. Ever since she stopped hanging out with Hinata, I've noticed she hangs out with a blonde girl; I don't know her name, I just know she's a senior, but she seems to be very close to Sakura. I also know they hang out in the cafeteria with other seniors; I always see them there.

Sakura and the blonde girl are sitting in a far table in the cafeteria. They are alone, and they seem to be talking about something important, because Sakura's head is bowed and she looks sad while the blonde is talking to her with a serious expression on her face. I stomp towards them, giving a damn about interrupting their chat.

"Sakura, we need to talk," I say when I'm standing right behind her.

She turns to me and her green eyes widen and fill with surprise. The blonde girl looks surprised to see me, too. "Ino?" Sakura asks. "What's happened?"

"I said: we need to talk, Sakura, _now_." I glance at her blonde friend. "In private."

Sakura exchanges a look with the blonde girl but stands up. "Okay," she says confusedly.

I turn around and start walking away, wordlessly, and she, as expected, follows me. I take her to an empty classroom and shut the door behind us. I stand with my back to her for a few moments, taking short deep breaths, trying not to control my anger. I really don't want to make a scene.

Finally, I turn around and face her. She's staring at me with a serious expression on her face and her arms folded across her chest. She looks like she's ready to fight, and maybe she should.

"Is everything okay, Ino?" she asks lowly.

"Yeah, I just felt like acting like something really important happened, drag you to a private place to talk and then tell you I was just kidding, everything's fine," I reply sarcastically and then snort. "Of _course_ everything is _not_ okay, Sakura. Actually, _nothing_ is okay."

"What happened?" she asks, perplexed.

"Oh, nothing happened, _really_. Why would you think that?"

"Cut the crap out, Ino, I can see you're very angry because you're being extremely sarcastic. What the hell made you so angry and what do _I _have to do with it?"

"Everything," I reply, stepping forward. "Every fucking thing, Sakura. You are the cause of everything bad that happens to me. You feel so goddamned especial and lucky and pretty, when you are actually _nothing_. You're just a delusional idiot whom I almost feel sorry for. Your life sucks so hard I bet you're anxious to die, and, if I were you, I'd be it, too."

Sakura looks utterly shocked and confused. "Why are you saying this to me?" she practically yells. "What did I do now? I just hurt you once, Ino, and you already know I'm sorry and you already got your revenge. What do I have to do to make you leave me alone? Beg? Bribe? Kill myself? What do you want from me?"

"I want you to stop being so fucking enviable!" I burst out, and then I put my hands on my mouth to keep me from letting more things out. I feel my eyes starting to water, and it's not only because I feel embarrassed, but because my situation is _so fucking sad_: I hate myself because I'm a lonely bitch that cannot seem to stop hurting people and that no one really loves. I feel so pathetic, so pitiable… I want to die.

Sakura is staring at me in disbelief and shaking her head. She looks utterly shaken. "Ino," she says, "I… I don't know what to say…"

"Then don't say anything!" I yell, and I turn around to not be seen by her as I pathetically cry my heart out. "Just leave me the fuck alone, Sakura. And if you tell someone about this, I swear to God I'm going to kill you, you understand me? I'll kill you!"

I hold my breath until I finally hear her walking to the door. I hear the door being opened, but before it's closed, Sakura says, "You know? If you'd just learn to say sorry and to accept you also make mistakes, you wouldn't be so alone."

When she's finally gone, I hide under a desk, hug myself tightly, and cry with all my might until the bell rings.

* * *

"_You might need someone to blame, but I won't be guilty as charged…_

_Oh! If you keep it up, you'll lose me, girl, and all you've got."_

_**Lay down your cards (Guilty as charged)**_

* * *

Notes: I really have nothing against Ino. I think she's a great character, perhaps one of the most realistic characters of _Naruto. _In this story, I don't mean to make her look like the most evil human in the world; I just want her to seem real, because, believe it or not, there are tons of girls in the real world like her, girls that seem to be and act as if they are perfect, but in the inside they feel lonely and not-loved.


	12. Chapter eleven

Notes: I suck because I haven't updated in a long time ): Please don't stop loving me! I've very been busy with... stuff. Oh! And guess what? There are only this and one more chapter to go, and then the epilogue! :O I'm finally going to finish a story... including its second part... because BUSATL is the second part of UHWTM, remember? So yeah, it's gonna be the end, there won't be a third part... at least the inspiration unexpectedly hits me... Well, just give me author's alert and you'll find out, okie-dokie? :3

* * *

_**But Uneasy souls are the lightest**_

_Chapter eleven_

* * *

**Sakura**

"Did you hear?"

"Hear what?"

"About that hot, older guy... What's his name...? I can't remember... But anyways, you haven't heard?"

"No, what happened?"

Giggles. "Oh my gosh, you're so not going to believe it!"

I roll my eyes. I don't know how old these girls beside me are, but they must be freshmen, because only freshmen girls have that kind of talks. Seriously, it's so... _weird_ when people talk about other people as if they were celebrities when they're all in the same school. Okay, maybe popular kids are kind of celebrities here, but, really, it's weird, and it makes me uncomfortable to hear people gossip about them. Why can't those people who talk about them get a life?

I glance at the girls as I take my street shoes out of my locker. Yeah, they're freshmen; the more I look, the more convinced I am. They're younger-faced and shorter than me, have childish hair styles, and it's obvious they don't know how to properly put make up on their faces, because they're wearing too much blush and their eye shadows don't match with their outfits at all. I know it's not nice to judge them, especially since I used to be like them a couple years ago, but I just can't help it.

"He's changing schools!"

"Holy crap, are you serious?"

"Yeah! Matsumi told me... You know she knows everything about the popular kids because she hangs out with most of them, so she must have been telling the truth."

"You're right... But, wow, I really can't believe it! I don't want him to go... School is a little bit more bearable when you see hot guys like him, you know?"

More giggles. "So true! And he is, if not the hottest, one of the hottest guys in school. It's going to be a terrible loss..."

Sigh. "I know... But, hey, why is he leaving?"

Shrug. "Don't know. Not even Matsumi knows. And I think only his closest friends know, because you know how he is: cold, quiet, mysterious... sexy... unbelievable handsome... Agh, I'm going to miss him!"

Pout. "Me too..."

I suppress a sigh. They don't even seem to know the guy personally... Why do they even care? Seriously, these poor girls need to get a life...

And suddenly, I remember how the guy was described: cold, quiet, mysterious, sexy, handsome... Could it be _him_ they're talking about? He's all of those adjectives... But he's not changing schools, is he? I don't think so... but maybe he is and I'm the only one who hasn't heard about it...?

I shake my head and close my locker as the girls start to walk away, talking about a whole different, yet as shallow as the last one, topic. No, it can't be him, because of course I would've heard about it already. If those girls know, why wouldn't I? I know that I'm older (aka, more mature) than those girls and that I am kind of one of the popular older kids in school (or at least most of my friends are, which sort of makes me one of them, I guess) so we popular kids don't gossip about ourselves, obviously, but I still would've heard about such big news, right? Kids in this school don't change schools very frequently, and if they do, almost everyone finds out (we're not many students, only like a hundred), especially if said kid is popular and "one of the hottest guys in school," as the freshmen said. So I definitely would've heard about it... Someone should have told me already... And if it really is _him_, then Naruto would've let me know immediately... right?

Right?

Ugh, I hate it, but I'm not sure at all. What if Naruto didn't tell me because _he_ asked him not to? And if so, why wouldn't _he _want me to know it? To protect me? Protect me from what? From the pain of not seeing _him_ everyday in school anymore, even if we've been ignoring each other since we broke up? It's been two months already... Why would he be so sure it'd still hurt me? It would still hurt me, indeed, but how would he know that? Am I _that_ predictable, or does he know me _that_ well?

Okay, I have to stop my mental babbling and start doing something. This doubt is not going to let me sleep, so I have to clear it, and to do that, I have to find Naruto and ask him (or probably force him) to tell me everything.

I put my street shoes on, grab my bag and run out of the locker room. Luckily, Naruto and I walk to school together everyday, so he'll be waiting for me at the same place as always. As I hurry to said place, I feel my heart flutter in my chest. Why do I suddenly have a bad feeling? Why am I feeling so nervous and anxious? It's like something dark and gross is growing within me and wanting to escape... I don't like this feeling at all. Is this like my sixth sense warning me something bad's coming?

I spot Naruto a few steps ahead from the bus stop, where I expected him to be. He has his hands stuffed in his pockets and is whistling contently. I briefly think it's nice to see him so happy; I hated it when his pretty blue eyes looked empty and sad. But now that he's back with Hinata (whom I'm best friends with again ever since she made up with Naruto), that sadness vanished. How I wish the sadness in me would vanish like his...

My depressing thoughts are interrupted when Naruto sees me walking towards him. "Hey," he greets with a smile on his face and then he starts walking towards the direction of our houses. I walk by his side and hesitate for a few moments before daring to speak.

"Okay, I'll go straight to the point," I say as we cross the street, and Naruto turns to me, looking surprised at my weird tone of voice. "I've been hearing rumors... about some guy who's changing schools... and-"

"Oh crap, I know where this is going," Naruto groans, rolling his eyes.

I blink at him. "You do?"

He sighs exasperatedly. "I told him people was going to find out sooner or later, but, as always, he didn't listen to me. He tried to keep it as secret as possible but, being one of the most popular guys in school, almost everyone found out. I don't know how it happened, because I'm supposed to be the only one who knows it, and of course I didn't say anything to no one... Well, Hinata knows too, because, you know, I told her; I needed someone to talk to, and, of course, I turned to her. I don't know if she told someone, maybe she did, but I'm sure she didn't do it intentionally. Still, don't tell Sasuke, okay? He'll kill me for not keeping my mouth shut."

A lump in my throat appeared as soon as Naruto finished his first sentence, and my eyes threatened to start water. But I don't want to cry; not now, not here. So I blink rapidly and swallow that damn lump down, and then wet my suddenly dry lips. "So it's true," I say, and I get mad at myself for sounding so miserable. "He really is that guy those girls were talking about... He's really changing schools."

I didn't know it would affect me this much. I mean, I secretly expected it, but I didn't dare to believe it'd really make me feel this sad. But, well, let's be realistic: he was my first love, I've been in love with him since I was a kid, I still love him even after so many heart-breaks, and, even though his changing schools isn't that bad (because he won't die; he'll just go to another school), this disappoints me. Not seeing him everyday in school is going to affect me a lot... I will miss his presence.

Maybe I'm just being dramatic... I mean, I don't even talk, or look, at him anymore; I've been acting as if I don't know him, and he's been doing the same thing. We ignore each other's existence so well, sometimes I almost think our dating was just a dream, that it never happened. But my memories are so vivid, so perfect... they cannot be product of my imagination. Besides, I have pictures with him, gifts from him and pages of my diary about him. I know it happened, I know all that happiness and all that pain was real... It's still real...

"He's going to kill me," Naruto murmurs, bringing me back to reality.

"Why do you say that?"

He shrugs, looking at the ground with a grimace on his face. "Look how you got. This is exactly what I was trying to avoid."

"You?" I ask. "Do you mean _you _were the one who didn't want me to know it, not him?"

"Well, I don't know if he wanted _you _or not to know it, he only said he didn't want _anyone_ to find out, but yeah, _I _didn't wanted you to find out because I knew it would make you sad. And seems like I was right, so if Sasuke sees how sad you look, he'll realize I've told you and kill me."

The fact thathe gave a damn if _I_ found out or not hurts me a little, but it also makes me glad, because it means he probably thinks I'm already over him and wouldn't care if he left, which is exactly what I want: to appear strong. However, I feel grateful to Naruto. In times like these, I really wish that I'd love him instead of _him_ and that he and Hinata wouldn't be so perfect for each other. But, well, the heart never picks who to love.

"It was going to happen sooner or later, you know?" I say. "I was going to find out someday."

"Yeah, but... I don't know. I guess I'm too much of an overprotective-brother with you."

I smile. "Yeah, you're actually more overprotective than my _real_ brother."

Naruto chuckles, and I laugh along and then change the subject. I just want to stop talking about _him_; I want to keep my depression for later, when I'm alone in my room. Also, I don't want Naruto to see me sad. I want to pretend this doesn't affect me as much as it really does.

I wave goodbye at Naruto when we part ways. As soon as he's out of earshot, I let a long, heavy sigh out. The stupid lump is back in my throat, but I swallow it again, because it's not time yet. My parents and my brother are home, and I don't want them to see me sad.

I climb the porch's steps and use my key to open the door instead of knocking, because my Mom is busy making dinner right now and she can't open the door for me, nor can my Dad and my brother, who are probably too busy watching TV. I push my thoughts about _him_ to the back of my mind and try to act as if nothing bad has happened today.

I greet everyone enthusiastically, tell my parents about the pop quiz I had in Math class and the new book we're going to read in Literature, eat my food and congratulate my Mom for her awesome cooking-skills, and everything else the normal me would do when not sad. I think I'm being a little too fake with my acting, and I think my brother, Sasori, notices that too, because I catch him giving me weird looks every now and then, but if my parents don't notice anything, then it's fine. I hate to keep secrets from them, but this is the kind of stuff a teenage girl can't tell her parents, not even her Mom, only her closest friends. Besides, I actually don't want to talk about this with anyone, not even with Hinata. I just want to be alone and... cry.

I go to my room after taking a hot shower and put my most comfortable pajamas on. It's only seven in the afternoon, too early to be ready to sleep, but I feel tired and I just want to rest. I get under the covers of my bed and hug a pillow to my chest tightly. I bury my face in it, and, before I can even realize, I'm already crying.

After who-knows-how-many-time crying, I fall asleep, though I don't even realize when I do it, either. But when I wake up, I feel like I've only blinked. I don't feel rested at all, and my eyelids are incredibly heavy from crying. I close my eyes again, wanting to sleep some more, but that annoying noise that first woke me up is bothering me too much...

When I realize it's the phone ringing and that no one is answering it, I groan and crawl out of the bed. I have to answer it if no one else does it because, you know, it could be an emergency. I hurry out of my room and downstairs, almost tripping in the steps, and feeling fully awake by the time I have finally reached the phone in the living room.

"Hello?" I say hoarsely, suddenly feeling very mad at whoever who called and woke me up, even if it's probably for an emergency.

"Sa-Sakura..."

I frown. "Who is it?"

"I'm Ino... I need to... to talk to you, Sakura. Can I please... please go to your house?"

Totally dazed, I blink a few times. Am I still asleep? Is this only a really weird dream? I guess so, because this can't be happening... Ino can't be calling _me_ crying and wanting to come to _my_ house to talk, especially not after what happened the last time we talked (which was also like two months ago), right?

"Sakura... please. I know we're not the best friends ever right now, but I really need you... or anyone... and you are... you're the only person I can turn to right now. My life is falling to pieces..."

"What's happened?" I ask, snapping out of my shock.

Ino sniffs and after a short pause, she says in a really low and terribly broken voice, "My mom has had an accident. She's... in a really critical condition."

* * *

**Ino**

The limousine stops in front of that familiar house. Even from the outside, it looks so warm, so welcoming, so full of love and happiness... How I wish I'd live there.

"Thank you," I say to the chauffeur and I open the door by myself, not caring to wait for the man to open it for me. He's surprised at this unusual action of mine, but doesn't say anything. I get out of the car and close the door behind me. The limousine hesitates only a second before leaving me behind.

I stare at the house, feeling the place where my heart is supposed to be very hollow. Flashbacks from several years ago come to my mind. I remember how happy it made me to sleep in this house, to eat in its kitchen, to watch TV in its living room, to play in its backyard. I'd give anything to be as happy as I used to be back then again.

I walk towards the porch, climb the steps and then stop in front of the door. I still have time to turn around and leave as if nothing has happened. But... if I leave, then where am I going to go? Not to my house, of course, because there's my Dad, and he's the last person I want to see right now. He used to be my favorite parent, but after showing how little he cares for my Mom, his ex wife, I realize how cold hearted he really is. He always tried to replace love for material stuff; instead of spending time with me, he hired someone to take my shopping at the most expensive stores in the city; instead of playing dolls with me, he paid piano or ballet lessons to distract me. He hasn't changed. Sometimes I think he just wasn't born to be a father, that I was a mistake. And maybe i'm right.

So I have nowhere else to go. I don't have friends here, or anywhere, or at least not real friends, those kind of friends I can really trust in and that are not going to tell everyone about my situation to embarrass me. The only people I can turn to, the only people that I'm sure they'll never let me down, are Mrs. Haruno and Sakura. Standing in front of these house, I'm in the right place.

I take a deep breath and the raise my fist to knock the door. I wait only for a few seconds before the door is opened and Sakura appears in front of me. She looks at me with those weird yet beautiful deep-green eyes as if she can't believe I'm really here. To be honest, I can't believe it either.

"Hi," I say awkwardly. I was crying when I called her, so it's kind of embarrassing to see her after that. "Can I come in?"

"Of course." She steps aside and opens the door wider. I hesitate only for a second, not completely sure about what I'm doing, but then step into the house. When the door is closed behind me, I realize I actually don't want to be anywhere else but here.

"Is your Mom home?" I ask, looking around as if it's the first time I come here, but only because I don't want to look at Sakura in the eye.

"No, she and my Dad went to visit my grandma."

"Are they coming back soon?"

"I don't know... I don't think so. They usually stay hours at my grandma's house."

"Oh..." I clear my throat and start walking towards the living room. Sakura follows me patiently. "And where's your brother?"

"Out. Probably with his friends... or his girlfriend, if he has one."

"Okay..." I turn to her and finally look her in the eye. "Uh... this is uncomfortable."

She snickers softly. "No shit."

I smile a little. "Well, uh, look, I... I really don't know what I was thinking when I called you. I actually expected to talk to your Mom... She's the only person I trust in who doesn't hate me... But seeing as I only have you... I think maybe I should... I should go..."

"You said you needed to talk to me," Sakura says.

"Well, yeah... But I was crying, dude. I barely remember what I was saying. I was... frenetic."

Sakura nods and sits on the couch. She looks up at me with a soft look on her face. "Ino... I know you need to talk. You're right: we're nothing but friends right now, but... I'm not a bitch, you know? Unlike you, I'm not avenging. I have mercy of you because... well, you were my friend once. Besides, if I was in your place, I'd like someone to be there for me." She smiles a little. "No one likes to be alone in moments like these... and I'd feel terrible if I turned my back to you right now."

I sit on the couch beside her, feeling relieved but at the same time terrible. I feel relieved because I'm glad she didn't kick me out of her house or made fun of me now that I'm in a vulnerable state, but I feel terrible because I don't deserve her kindness, and she knows that but doesn't care about it. She's being nice to me even after everything I did to her... I wish I could be a little more like her.

"So... you wanna tell me what exactly happened?" she asks after a few moments of silence.

I sigh heavily and stare at my lap. "I got a phone call from France. It was my Mom's secretary. She told she had had a car accident and was now in the hospital, and that she almost died. She's in coma right now. She's not in danger anymore, but you know that when someone is in coma it's not something good. I couldn't believe it at first, and I really thought I was going to be happy... because my Mom kind of deserves it, you know? I mean... not actually deserves being about to die, but she's been a terrible mom, Sakura... You can't wish good things to happen to someone like her, you know? However... instead of happiness, all I felt was like a really ugly feeling in my chest. And then I started to cry. I couldn't believe I was crying for my Mom. I thought I hated her... I thought her death would make me the happiest girl in the world... but I realized that I was wrong."

I look up at Sakura, and feel relieved she's not looking at me with pity. I hate people's pity; they make me feel weak and stupid. I hate to look pathetic in front of other people. That's why I came here: because Sakura has never make me feel pathetic when I know I look pathetic. It's one of the things I liked the most about her.

I sigh again. "Anyways... My dad came into the room and I told him what happened. He gave a damn. The only thing he said was that he had many debts right now, so he couldn't afford to send me back to France to see my Mom. His words weren't the thing that upset me: it was the way he said them. He spoke as if he were just talking about, I don't know, burying a dead fish or something. I just couldn't understand it... How can he not care when his ex wife almost died? Okay, maybe they didn't have a nice divorce, but that woman is still the mother of his only child and a human he once loved... That doesn't mean anything? _She_ doesn't mean anything?"

"But well," I continue after a short pause, "I think I've actually always known what kind of a person he is, but I gave a damn as long as he gave me money to buy clothes and stuff. I know that sounds shallow, but that was just what I did to protect myself from getting hurt by him. I pretended I didn't care he didn't show me love as long as he gave me money, to appear strong, you know what I mean? But I was just lying... I do care; it does hurt me."

Sakura sighs. "Look, Ino," she says after a pause, "I think you shouldn't stay here, in the country. You're not happy living with your Dad, and your Mom needs you. She probably hasn't been the best mother ever, but she's a human too, you know? She makes mistakes, maybe more than you, but she's still your Mom and, to be honest, I think she does love you, even if she never shows it, because you're her daughter. How can't a woman not love the human she carried in her womb for nine months, fed and watched grow? And maybe your Dad loves you too, but he's not perfect, either. However, I think you Mom needs you more than him right now. You have to be with her."

"But with what money?" I ask, already starting to cry. Her words made me feel my heart back in its place.

Sakura grins. "Hey, maybe you're richer than me, but that doesn't mean I'm poor."

My eyes widen when I get what she said. "But... are you sure?"

"My Mom adores you, Ino. You're like her second daughter. And you need to be with your real mother now. Of course she will be willing to help you, as will my Dad. He likes you too."

I bite my lower lip as starts to tremble and I feel the lump in my throat get bigger. Before, I can stop my self, I've already thrown my arms around Sakura. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," I repeat hysterically, holding the friend I don't deserve tightly against me.

* * *

"_Replace these veins with these stomach aches, and butterflies that long to tear away..._

_With the lights out, I hope you'll never leave my side._

_I promise to leave my weapons left by the bedside."_

_**Empty corridors**_

* * *

Notes: Yeah, yeah, I've put this song already, I know, but who cares? :D And, just to make it clear, if I were in Sakura's place, I_ would_ help Ino, because I'm a nice person (yes, I'm bragging!) and because of all the other reasons Sakura said. Maybe you don't agree with me, maybe you think bitches like Ino don't deserve to be helped, but this is _my_ story and I base the character's decisions on my own judgment. :)


	13. Chapter twelve

_**But uneasy souls are the lightest**_

_Chapter twelve_

* * *

**Sakura**

It's been a week since Ino left Japan, and I've finally received news about her. Sitting cross-legged on my bed, I stare at the white envelope that contains a letter from her in my hands. Should I open it? Well, duh, of course. But... I'm scared. What if it says Ino's mom died? I'd feel so sad for her... Ino has been a bitch and everything, but she's just an unlucky girl that acts mean to hide her pain and her real self. She doesn't deserve to lose her mom... No one does. And if she has, then I think I don't want to know such terrible news...

But I have to. If her mom died (which, now that I think about it, it's not that probable, because according to Ino, she was just in comma but okay), then Ino needs someone to talk to. She's still my friend, even after all she did, and I'd feel the meanest person in the world if I didn't call her to tell her I'm sorry and to listen to what she has to say.

Sometimes I think I was too nice to Ino, something she didn't deserve at all, but then I remind myself that I'm nice towards people, even mean people, just because I believe in karma and because it makes me feel proud of myself. So, I just helped her because she's still the girl who used to be my best friend in the whole world and I kind of felt sorry for her, and because I expected good stuff to happen to me because of that, not because I forgave all the things she did to me. Said like that, I wasn't nice: I was just selfish and merciful.

But anyways, back to the envelope. I take a deep breath and then rip it open. Inside, there's a piece of paper folded into a small square. I take out the paper and examine it; it's light purple, soft... and it smells like flowers. It's definitely Ino's; she's always loved the smell of flowers and purple stuff. I put the envelope on the bed and start to unfold the paper. It says:

_**Sakura:**_

_**Thank you for all you did for me. Please tell your parents I really appreciate what they did too, and that I'm going to pay them soon. You are a great friend... I don't freaking deserve you. But I'm glad to know you... really glad. I don't know what would've happened to me if you hadn't wanted to talk to me. **_

_**There's something else in the envelope. That's the symbol of our friendship. I want you to have it back, as an apology for all I did to you. I know you'll never forgive me, but at least I want you to know I regret everything I did. I was very mean... Okay, no, I was a BITCH. I hate myself for that. But at least I learned something from it. After all, we're supposed to learn from our mistakes, right?**_

_**Anyways... Next time we see each other, I hope we'll have a fresh start. **_

_**Sincerely, Ino.**_

_**P.S. My mom has woken up. She's finally told me she loves me, and I can't be more happy. I think those three simple words coming from her were all I ever needed to be complete. **_

I smile sweetly at the letter. It's incredible, but the person who wrote this doesn't seem to be the Ino who made me so miserable; it actually seems to be the Ino I used to know as a kid. It looks like that Ino, the good Ino, is back... and I haven't felt so happy for something in a very long time.

Suddenly, I remember what the second paragraph after my name said, and I grab the envelope and realize it feels kind of heavy. I put the letter on the bed and open the envelope. Inside of it, there's a red ribbon... a ribbon I instantly recognize. The sight of it makes my breath get caught in my throat.

I can't believe it... She kept that ribbon? I thought she had burned it, or threw it away, in the moment I gave it to her back after our cat-fight in elementary school. To be honest, I've never wondered what happened to it before, and I thought Ino remembered it as much as I did. But seems like this ribbon have always meant something to her. She kept it during all these years...

As I run my fingers through the soft red material of the ribbon, I remember the day Ino gave it to me. Some mean kids were making fun of me because of my forehead, and Ino, the most popular girl in my class, suddenly appeared and told them to leave me alone. Because Ino was a popular kid, they obeyed. When they were gone, Ino turned to me and handed me a tissue.

"Here, blow your nose," she told me, smiling sweetly. I did as she said, and when I was done, I looked at her with confusion.

"Why did you do that?" I asked. Ino was popular, loved and pretty, while I was ugly, bullied and invisible. Why would a girl like her stand up for someone like me?

"Because I'm sick of those kids," she replied angrily. "They are so stupid, making other kids cry and calling them names... They aren't so perfect and pretty either, you know? No one is perfect... we're all humans... so why do they discriminate other kids like them? It's not fair."

I blinked at her. I never thought a pretty and popular girl like her would be so... nice. She was also very smart, smart enough to know what the word "discriminate" meant. I used to think she was just a shallow, preppy kid... but it seemed like I was very wrong.

"Thank you," I said shyly. "It's the first time someone stands up for me."

Ino smiled. "You're welcome. I don't get why you don't seem to have many friends. You're so smart... you have the best grades in the class, Sakura. And you're also really pretty!" she exclaimed, making me blush. "But, you know what? You'd look prettier if you'd brush those locks off your forehead. It makes you look... hidden."

"But I don't want people to see my huge forehead," I explained, pouting. "They'll make fun of me."

Ino thought for a moment, frowning with concentration, and then finally said, "Let me see it."

"See what?"

"Your forehead." When I shook my head, her eyes softened and she said, "Come on. I promise I won't make fun of you."

I looked into her blue eyes. She looked so... nice. She made me feel safe and comfortable. I felt like I could trust her. So, slowly, I raised my hand and held my tuft back, uncovering my forehead. I waited for Ino to start laughing at me, but she only stared at my forehead with concentration, as if trying to find an answer to something.

"Oh, I know!" she suddenly exclaimed. She stuffed her hand into the pocket of her dress and held out a red ribbon, grinning. "I found this in my dressing table this morning. I have no idea where it came from, but I thought it was pretty, so I brought it to school to find a place to put it. I thought about tying it around a branch to make the tree look pretty, or to give it to my favorite teacher, but I think you should have it, Sakura."

My eyes widened, and I reached for the ribbon. It was as soft as it still is today. "Really?" I asked in disbelief.

Ino nodded and then smiled at me sweetly "Use it as a hairband to hold your tuft back," she said. "You look way prettier with your forehead uncovered, and, don't worry, I'll make sure those mean kids stop making fun of you."

"Are you sure?" I asked doubtfully.

Ino nodded again. "Come on, Saks. I'm always truthful to the people I like, and I like you. You are a nice girl!"

Those words made my heart warm up. It was the first time I felt so... accepted. Ino was one of my first friends ever. But Ino was the first to be always there for me when I needed her... the first to give me her friendship and loyalty without asking for anything back.

I smile and close my eyes, holding the ribbon tightly. A symbol of our friendship, Ino had called it. Well, such an important thing is worth keeping, isn't it?

* * *

**Sasuke**

Gasping for air, I press my back against the wall and try not to make noise. I hear the crowd of girls in the other hallway, screaming my name. They're like a freaking stampede of bulls: uncontrollable and able to crush you to death if you get in their way. They've been acting this way, chasing me like freaking lions chasing their preys, ever since the rumor about my changing schools went around the whole school. Somehow, they found out, and now they're desperate to stalk me for the last time before I leave.

I hear them running, going to the wrong direction, trying to find me and do who-knows-what to me, and I sigh tiredly. I can't believe I'm literally hiding from them and running for my life. And they expect me to like them being that freaking scary?

When they're completely gone, I slid my back down the wall until my butt touches the floor. I stay there, seated against the wall, for a few moments, getting my breath back, until I suddenly hear steps getting closer. I slowly get up, not sensing danger since it sounds like only one person, and turn the corner to find myself facing...

"Sakura?" I ask in disbelief. Of all people, hers had to be the face of the person coming?

"Hi, Sasuke," she replies calmly, though there's something weird going on with her. Her eyes... why do they look so cold and dull? Is she angry at me...? Well, of course she's angry at me, but, why dues she show it right now? "Can I have a word with you? In private?"

I blink, completely shocked. Ever since we broke up, we've been acting as if we don't know each other. It pains me to have her ignoring me, but there's nothing I can do besides playing along. Why does she suddenly decided to talk to me right now?

"Uh, sure," I reply stupidly.

She nods and looks around. "Well, seems like there's no one around, so we can talk here."

I realize that, indeed, we're alone. The hallway is empty and no sound can be heard. Students are in class. I'm supposed to be outside, in P. E., as does Sakura and the fangirls who were following me, but we obviously skipped it. I didn't want to skip, but those fangirls started chasing me and made me do whatever it took to get away from them, and Sakura... well, I have no idea why she skipped. Could it be that she was following me to talk to me?

"So... what's up?" I ask, trying to break the awkward silence.

Sakura fixes her eyes on me. Even though she looks upset, her eyes are so beautiful, and they hypnotize me in such way that I almost don't listen to what she says. "I've heard that... that you're changing schools next year. So... I wanted to, you know, say goodbye, since this year ends in a couple weeks and this seems to be the perfect moment for it."

I nod, not knowing what to say.

Sakura looks away and the awkward silence comes back. After a few moments, I wet my lips and open my mouth to speak, but she cuts me off. "You know? I think it's good that you're leaving."

Perplexed, I ask, "Why do you say that?"

"Well... Because it's the best." When I just stare at her blankly, she explains: "Like, if we don't see each other everyday anymore, then it will be easier to move on, don't you think?"

I can't believe this. Not only is she mentioning our break up, but she's also implying that she's still in love with me. I feel both happy and confused at the same time.

Sakura smiles sheepishly, not looking at me. "You know? At first, when I found out, I was crushed. I didn't want you to go, even when we don't even speak to each other. Your presence... I was going to miss it. But one day, I was thinking, and I had an epiphany. I realized that I am stuck on you, that I can't get over you, and it is all because I see you everyday and seeing you makes me remember, and miss, and feel pain. Your leaving is going to fix this problem. Since I won't see you everyday at school, or anywhere, anymore, I'll forget about you sooner."

Hearing those last words made my heart shrink. Somehow, the thought of Sakura forgetting about me, getting over me and finding someone else, makes furious and depressed at the same time. I know it's selfish to want to have her in love with me forever, but if she stops loving me and starts loving other guy I will be so... so miserable, so lonely, so incomplete. She fills me. Losing her love would be like losing everything.

As I look into the green of her eyes, I realize that I would give everything to have her loving me forever... even my soul. I would do anything... kneeling, begging, crying... I wouldn't care to give up on my pride. She's a thousand times more important for me than my dignity.

Out of a sudden, I realize I just contradicted myself. I used to think my dignity was first, and that's why I broke up with her and rejected her apologies. And now I'm saying I'd rather have her than my dignity? I feel so goddamned stupid...!

But that doesn't matter. What does matter is that at least I realized my mistake now and not later. Now, that I can fix this. Now, that I have her in front of me, that I can talk to her.

"Sakura," I say, stepping forward and taking her soft, small hands in mines. My random action catches her off guard. Her eyes widen and she leans slightly back, surprised to have me so close. "I know this may sound random, and sudden, and weird, and senseless, and everything else you want, but, as you did, I just had an epiphany, I guess." I swallow before continuing, "I am sorry. I was... indescribable stupid. I don't know what the hell was wrong with me... But I want you to tell me: is there something, anything, I can do to have you back?"

As expected, Sakura is stunned. For a moment, she just stares at me, probably wondering what has gotten into me. Finally, she sighs and bows her head, and, letting go of my hands, says, "That's funny." She chuckles briefly. "Only a few months ago, I was the one who was asking you that same thing."

"I know," I say, "but it's just that I've realized what an idiot I've been..."

"Out of a sudden?"

"Yes, out of a sudden. I was... too dramatic, I guess. I shouldn't have made such a big deal out of it. I should have sent my pride to hell and forgiven you, because there's nothing more important to me than you. I don't how I didn't realize before..."

"You were too arrogant," Sakura accuses.

I sigh tiredly and nod. "Yes, I was too arrogant. But I'm sorry. I can't fight my feelings for you. I need you. I... _love_ you. So, could you forgive me?"

I've never wanted someone to say yes so much in my life, and I've never told someone I loved them before, either. Maybe these are only two of the many weird things being in love makes you do.

Sakura sighs, still not looking at me, and says, "I can't believe you said you love me."

I grab her hands again. "I'm not lying. I really do love you."

She looks up at me with a pained expression on her face and her eyes watering. "I love you too," she admits, making my pulse quicken. "And I can't fight my feelings for you, either. But... I can't." She shakes her head, and I feel my hear shrink once again. "I can't, Sasuke. You hurt me so much... If I forgive you, I'll look like an idiot. You make me suffer and break my heart, and I forgive you and act as if nothing happened? No... I can't."

She lets go of me, turns around and starts to walk away. "Sakura!" I call after her. She stops, turns at me and shakes her head.

"Please, just forget it."

With a lump in my throat, I shake my head. My sadness suddenly turns into anger, and I shout, "Why are you doing this to me? I'm practically begging for your forgiveness, telling you I'd do anything to have you back, admitting I was an idiot, and you tell me this? Why do you enjoy to hurt me?"

My outburst seems to anger Sakura, because she glares at me and replies, "You've always hurt me, and I've been strong and tried to fight for us, I've never given up, and you act like you're the victim here? _No_, Sasuke! I'm tired of this, you've caused me too much pain... I give up."

As she turns away and starts to leave once again, my anger vanishes. "No, Sakura, wait..."

"The best you can do, for both of us, is to get away from me, Sasuke," she says as she walks through the empty hallway, taking my heart with her.

* * *

"_And baby the more you run, the most speed that you give to me._

_Wherever your heart is, that's where mine will be..._

_You're not protected from this arms of jealousy._

_I am jealousy."_

_**And asleep I'm your everything**_

* * *

Notes: That last line was sooooooooooo cheesy. Guess I got carried away by the drama. ):

This is the last chapter! The epilogue is next! :D And don't worry, I'm a fan of happy endings. ;)


	14. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

* * *

_A year later..._

* * *

I open the door to find Naruto and Hinata standing at the other side, with wide smiles on their faces. They're holding hands and they both look radiant. Even when they're not smiling like they are right now, they still seem to glow when they're together. It's so cute... and I'm so happy for them. They're seriously perfect for each other, and if more than a year of relationship doesn't prove they're soul mates, then I don't know what else can.

"Congratulations, Sakura!" they exclaim in unison before throwing their arms around me and squeezing me until I'm out of breath. I manage to tell them to let me go because I can't breathe, and they obey instantly.

"Sorry!" Naruto says, scratching the back of his head with a sheepish grin. "It's just that we're so excited you got that scholarship for the med school... We're really happy for you!"

"Thank you, guys," I tell them sincerely, smiling sweetly at both of them. "Wanna come in?"

They nod and I step aside to let them in. I close the door behind them just as Hinata says, "We didn't know what to bring or do to celebrate right now, in the morning, since we plan to celebrate it properly in the night, so we just decided to come here and congratulate you verbally."

"What do you mean we're going to celebrate it tonight?" I ask, confused.

Hinata's smile widens. "We have a surprise for you, Sakura. We're going to have dinner in a really nice place."

"And it's not going to be ramen," Naruto adds. "I would've really liked to have ramen, but we always have that, and it's your night, so we decided to have something else to change the routine."

"Is it a surprise or you can give me details?" I ask teasingly as I make my way upstairs, to my bedroom. My friends follow behind.

"It's okay, we can tell you," Hinata says. "Besides, we're sure you're going to like it a lot, and we want you to be excited all day."

"Okay... so, where are we gonna go tonight?" I question, secretly already feeling excited. I'm not used to have people planning surprises for me, except for on situations like this or on my birthday, so it makes me happy and anxious to know what they've prepared for me.

"We've already made the reservation."

"That didn't really answer my question, Naruto."

"Okay, okay... It's in that fancy-looking restaurant near Hinata's house," Naruto says. "I think it's Italian... you like Italian food, don't you?"

I stop walking to gawk at them. Are they serious? That restaurant is _more_ than just fancy-looking. It looks like a place perfect for celebrities to go, and I bet even the simplest dish costs what my house cost. How could they make a reservation there? How could they afford it? But most importantly, what the hell were they thinking when they decided to take me there to celebrate I got an scholarship for my university? I'm not saying that is a small thing, it's actually great and worth celebrating, but, really, I would've been happy if they only brought me a gift or baked me a cake or something!

"You've got to be kidding me," I tell them, shaking my head.

"We're not kidding you!" Hinata exclaims, a wide smile on her face. "If you don't believe it, I have the confirmation of the reservation right here in my purse."

"It's not that I don't believe you," I say, "because, really, why would you make such joke? It's just that... how could you!"

Naruto's face falls. "You're supposed to be happy."

"I _am_ happy!" I sigh with exasperation, because they're clearly not getting it. "It's just that... Where did you get the money?" I gasp as a thought hits me. "Don't tell me you robbed a bank or something."

"Of course not!" Hinata laughs, shaking her head. "Naruto and I have been saving money for this. In the moment you told us you were going to do that exam to get the scholarship, we knew you'd get it, so we started saving money for the celebration. We just had enough for two people, though. Yeah, it's _that_ expensive," she comments when she sees my eyes widen. "But my Dad heard about my problem and he decided to help me, since he thinks you're a nice person and he's glad I'll have a medic friend."

"We were lucky," Naruto adds, nodding his head.

"The only problem is that he didn't know we just wanted one more reservation, and he bought two," Hinata says. "And since we can't get our money back, we'll need to bring someone else."

"How about Sasori?" Naruto proposes.

I raise an eyebrow. "Since when do you like the company of my older brother?"

He grins. "Since he started saying my name correctly. Duh."

I roll my eyes and turn to the door to open it. "I don't know if he'll want to, but I'll ask him when he gets home," I say as the three of us step into my bedroom. "However, let's go back to the topic. You guys didn't really need to that, you know? I would've been happy with a small gift or a cake."

"Oh, Sakura, don't be like that," Hinata says, smiling, as she and her boyfriend sit on the edge of my bed. "You deserve what we did and more. You're our best friend, after all. And besides, don't be disappointed: we got you a present, too."

"You _what_!" I exclaim, stunned, and then I sigh and roll my eyes, deciding not to argue anymore. They'll take me to that restaurant _and_ they have another present for me? Am I really that much of a good friend or what?

As I brush my hair, Naruto and Hinata tell me about the movie they watched last night. I listen to them at first, but then I get lost in my thoughts when I remember that _he_ and I used to watch movies all the weekends, too, and sometimes Hinata and Naruto watched them with us, kind of like in a double date. The memories of those blissful times make me feel both depressed and happy, and I start to feel so nostalgic I feel a lump forming in my throat.

Not wanting to get emotional in front of my friends, I clear my throat and focus on something else.

I'm okay now; even though I haven't fallen in love with someone else yet, I'm happy after a year of not knowing anything about him. Naruto is careful not to talk about him in front of me, so there's nothing else that reminds me of him, except for the pictures and the pages in my diary, but those I keep away, in a box in my closet. I don't cry for him, or think of him, or talk about him anymore. It's as if he never existed, as if he was just a guy I dreamed about a long time ago...

I seem to be already over him. I don't want to remember now, when my dreams so close to come true. I just want to keep moving on.

"Hey, Sakura?" Naruto suddenly asks as I put a notebook in my bag, watching me curiously. "Why are you packing? Where are you going?"

I frown. "I didn't tell you?"

"No, Sakura, you did tell us. Naruto just forgot it... or didn't put attention,"Hinata says, giving him a stern look. She's always scolded him for being so absent-minded.

"Sorry," Naruto says, smiling sheepishly.

"You're going to the university, aren't you?" she asks me.

"Yeah. I have a few more formalities to do about the scholarship. I also have to get registered."

"You're leaving now?"

I nod. "Sorry I couldn't spend more time with you, guys."

"It's okay, we'll meet for dinner," Hinata says, standing up, and Naruto does the same. "We'll pick you up at eight o' clock, alright?"

"Yeah, we'll pick you up in _my_ car, which is totally mine and _I _drive, because I finally have a_ license_," Naruto brags, and Hinata and I just laugh and roll our eyes at him. Ever since he turned eighteen and his Dad gave him a car, he's been bragging about it as if it's the best thing in the world... and, for a person our age, it probably is. Even _I_ would be that excited if I got a car. I hope my Dad will give me one as a present for getting the scholarship...

Naruto and Hinata follow me downstairs and out of the house. We wave goodbye at each other and part ways. I head to the opposite direction of where they are going (to Naruto's house), to take the bus to my university.

Man, I really need a car.

* * *

I step into the building and examine the map of the university at my left, searching for the place I was told last time I came here to go. When I finally find it, I keep walking, but when I turn to a corner, a body slams against mine.

"Oh, gosh, I'm sorry!" I exclaim, blushing as I stare at books the person I ran into was carrying and that are currently lying on the floor. I hurriedly kneel down and start to pick them up, babbling about how sorry and clumsy I am.

Suddenly, I realize the person I ran into hasn't moved, and isn't even helping me pick their books up. I frown, thinking how rude that is; this is as much my fault as it's theirs, and it's not polite to just let the other person pick your stuff up as if she's your freaking servant.

I raise my head to glare up at the person, put my glare fells and my stomach sinks in the moment I see the person's face.

"Sakura," he says, his eyes widening slightly.

Suddenly, everything around me seems unreal. My face warms up and my head starts to feel unusually light. I can feel my blood throbbing in my temples. That sensation of having the stomach turned into a knot is back after more than a year of not feeling it... Funny that the person who used to make me feel it is the same that is making me feel it right now.

But, how? Of all people in the world, why did I run into _him_? And of all places, why _here_? And of all times, why _now_? I don't get it... Is this destiny making me fun of me?

What is Sasuke doing here?

Slowly, without taking my eyes off of him, I stand up, holding his books against my chest. I stare at him in disbelief... But besides disbelief, I feel something else. I feel warmth in my chest... I feel relaxed... I feel... happy? Happy to see him again? Well, which girl wouldn't be happy to see _him_? He's the type of guys that leave you breathless with their looks, the type of guys who make you want to stare at them forever.

And he looks so good today. I almost forgot how handsome he is. And when he wears black, like he is today, he looks ever better. Black is definitely his color. It's the color of his eyes and of his hair... which, by the way, is longer now. I like his hair long, but I think I like it slightly shorter...

Oh my God, what am I doing? _He's your ex, Sakura_, I tell myself. _Why the fuck are you checking him out? You're supposed to be over him... to don't like him anymore... to give a damn about his existence..._

But it's useless. Who am I kidding? He still has the same effect on me. And maybe I did kind of got over him in this past year, but now that I see him again, I feel like I haven't progressed one bit and that I'm back to those days when we were just friends and he didn't know about my real feelings for him.

How can he do this to me?

He looks away. I don't know how long we've been staring at each other, but it sure felt like an eternity. Maybe it was. And maybe we looked like idiots, frozen in place and dazedly looking at each other. But nothing cares; only him.

I open my mouth to speak, but I'm suddenly mute. I feel my mouth dry, and I am extremely aware of my throbbing heart.

Sasuke looks back at me with a look of confusion in his face. "What are you doing here?" he asks softly.

I wet my lips and swallow before managing to say, "Uh, I got an scholarship... for the med school. I'm here to register. What... what about you?"

"I'm here to register, too. For Business Administration."

There's an awkward silence in which I fidget nervously until I realize I'm still carrying Sasuke's books. "Here," I say, handing them to him. "I'm sorry I ran into you... I was distracted."

"No, it was my fault," he says, taking his books. "I'm sorry I didn't help you pick them up. I just froze when I saw your hair... I couldn't believe it was you."

"I couldn't believe it, either," I admit. "That it was you, I mean." I smile awkwardly. "How surprising, huh?"

"Yeah..." He smirks lightly. "But it's a nice surprise."

"You're glad to see me?" I blurt out before I can stop myself.

His smirk widens a little and he looks at me in that soft, sweet way that used to make my legs feel weak... and actually, I just found out it still makes them feel weak. "Why wouldn't I?"

Blushing, I look away. Oh God, I want to hug him, kiss him or whatever so much! I can't believe I missed him this much... I wish he could stay here with me forever, because I don't want to miss him when he's gone. It'd be stupid to deny that, even after all that happened, after all we did, my love for him is still here. It's been a year, but I can't get over him...

I still love him with all my being.

I suddenly (fortunately) have an idea and I open my mouth to speak, but he opens his at the same time, and then close them at the same time to let the other speak instead. We smile awkwardly and he motions me to speak first and, even though I deny at first, he insists. So, I nod, take a deep breath and ask, "Do you have something to do tonight?"

He chuckles softly. "Funny," he says. "I was going to ask the exact same thing..."

I can't help but beam. I think this was destined to happen. I mean, I don't believe in coincidences, and I don't think that running into him and having an extra reservation for tonight's dinner are coincidences. This was meant to be.

Sasuke and I are meant to be together again and have a fresh start. I'm convinced.

"Uh, w-well," I stutter nervously, "it's just that Naruto and Hinata are taking me to a restaurant to celebrate I got the scholarship, and um, it was supposed to be only the three of us but we have reservation for four people, so, um... I was wondering if, uh, y-you'd like to..."

Sasuke watches me with amusement. "To go?" he offers, and I nod sheepishly. His eyes sparkle and he says, "Of course."

My world brightens. Standing here, in front of him, smiling at him as he smiles back... I think I don't want to be anywhere else.

* * *

_Uneasy hearts weigh the most... But uneasy souls are the lightest._

* * *

Notes: I want to thank you guys for EVERYTHING you've done, from reviewing to simply reading this story. Your reviews made me smile, your constructive criticism made me try to be better... Sometimes I really felt like giving you a hug! XD I write for fun, and I'm just a beginner, but it makes me happy to know some people like what I do. :D

I promise to keep writing and to get better. Again, **thank you for everything** (as Sasuke would've told Sakura...! Okay, that was stupid.)

See you in my next story! :)

_~tragedyneverends_


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